


Birds of a Feather

by Titch360



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-18
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-08-09 13:07:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 50,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7803094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titch360/pseuds/Titch360
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We all know what they do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Birds of a Feather

Birds of a Feather

 

Bruce trudged into Stately Wayne Manor, wiping his forehead with a cloth.  After the rain and snow and freezing temperatures of the past winter, early summer was proving to be hot and humid.  Bruce greatly looked forward to the cool confines of his ancestral home, but what he found himself walking into was more akin to a sweatbox.  He quickly stripped off his suit jacket and tie as he stopped to listen.  Some piece of heavy machinery was working deep in the bowels of the house, but he couldn’t quite be sure which one it was.

_It’s worse in here than it is outside,_ Bruce thought, _Alfred can’t be running the heater on a day like this, could he?_

Entering the kitchen, he spotted the butler leaning against the counter, looking like a wilted shell of himself.

“Alfred?  What’s going on?  Why is it so hot in here?”

Alfred looked up at the man, but could find little motivation to approach.  “Good afternoon, sir.  I didn’t hear you come in.  I’m afraid the air conditioner gave up the ghost this morning.  The repairman left about half an hour ago, and said he fixed it.  However, with a house this size, it will take several hours to reach a comfortable temperature again.”

_Damn, tonight is going to suck,_ Bruce thought.  “Well, at least it’s fixed.  If this is how you’re looking, Damian must be miserable.  Is he in his room?”

“No, sir,” the butler all but panted.  He pointed out the window at the back yard, “He’s out there…somewhere.  Looking to stay cool, I would guess.”

Bruce’s eyes widened slightly.  “Out there…somewhere?  Now I know it’s too hot in here.  I think your brain must be melting if you weren’t keeping track of him better than that.  That’s not like you at all.  Take a break and cool off a bit, Alfred.  I don’t want anything happening to you from the heat.”

Bruce left to change, and Alfred, first scoffing at the idea, quickly changed his mind and sat down with a glass of Iced Tea.

If it was hot downstairs, upstairs felt like crawling into the oven.  Bruce quickly changed into the much cooler attire Alfred had laid out for him, groaning at how uncomfortable the house would be to sleep in tonight.  He made a quick stop by Damian’s room, just to make sure the boy hadn’t slipped in without Alfred noticing, then headed outside to find his son.

Bruce didn’t have to look far to find Damian.  For as much as the boy had spent months learning the ins and outs and all the little hidden spots inside Wayne Manor, the outside of the property seemed to hold little interest for him.  Of course, he occasionally went to the back yard, but to the best of Bruce’s knowledge, Damian had never set foot outside of the manicured spaces of the grounds.  Bruce took a long, slow look at the grounds from the back porch.  The maintained sections of grounds sparkled like an emerald oasis, before sloping away towards the woods.  Bruce smiled as he remembered back.  There was a time when a day like this would send him hunting through the woods, trying to find Dick before the sun went down.  Today, he only needed to look as far as the deck around the pool.

He smiled as he approached the child.  Damian was lying on a deck chair on his stomach, his head cradled on his arms.  Bruce’s shadow fell over the boy, but Damian didn’t move.

“Damian?” Bruce asked gently.

Damian mumbled something incoherent, and Bruce realized his son was sound asleep.  The only movement that Bruce saw, other than the soft rise and fall of his back as he breathed evenly and deeply, was when he kicked slowly at a fly that landed on his bare heel.

Bruce smiled as he sat on the edge of the deck chair, careful not to jostle the chair and wake the boy.  Damian normally violently resisted efforts of anyone to call him cute, no matter how often Dick insisted on calling him such.  In this instance, Bruce was having a hard time coming up with another adjective to adequately describe his son.

_I have many sons, but this one is truly mine,_ Bruce thought, unnaturally strong, paternalistic feelings welling up within him as he looked over his child.  _I made this, and I’ll be damned if anyone is going to take him from me.  Now, if only I could stop finding ways to push him away or scare him off._

A slight redness was starting to show through Damian’s normal, tan tone.  Looking at a nearby low table, Bruce saw Alfred’s normal preparation for any time one of them ventured out back, a towel and a tube of sunscreen.  Smiling, Bruce picked up the tube and squeezed it directly onto Damian’s back.  Damian gasped and flinched as the cold cream was rubbed into his back and shoulders.

“Pennyworth, what are you doing?   That’s cold.”

A completely unexpected voice responded to the query.  “You’re starting to get a little crispy, son.  I don’t want you to get burned, or you’ll have a hard time sleeping tonight.”

“Father,” Damian tensed and tried to roll away.  Bruce kept his hand on Damian’s back, not hard or forceful, but the child found himself unable, or unwilling, to escape.

The hand rubbed higher, onto Damian’s neck.  The palm was soon replaced by fingers, performing a magical dance of pressure and movement that was able to slowly bleed the tension from the boy.

_What does he think he’s…ooh.  That feels good.  I miss Grayson doing that.  He has been so busy lately, there hasn’t been a lot of time to even talk to him.  I miss those talks, where nothing is actually discussed, and he just wants to spend time around me.  Did Grayson tell Father that I like it when he does this?  Father may be better at this than Grayson is.  I wonder if he used to do this for Grayson, when he was feeling tense.  Wait, is that…did Grayson learn this from Father?_

Damian’s thoughts melted away under the strong fingers of his father, and he was on the verge of falling asleep again when the man grabbed his ear.

“Hey!  What are you doing?  What did you do that for?”

“Sunscreen,” Bruce said, a slight smile in his voice.  “Some of the worst sunburns I’ve ever had were on my ears.  Have you been out here long?”

“Um…that depends.” Damian looked up at the sky, and found that the sun was no longer beating down from directly overhead.  “What time is it?”

Bruce checked his watch, “Almost six.”

“Oh,” Damian rolled on to his side, facing his Father.  “Then, yes.  Almost six hours.  I came out after lunch; it was intolerable in the house.  What are we going to do about…” Damian trailed off and his eyes widened, “Wait, did you say almost six?”

Bruce looked confused, “Yes.  Five fifty-two to be exact.  Why?”

“Nothing, you’re just home early.”

Bruce smiled, “For once, I ran out of things to do.  Since it’s summer, and my name is on the side of the building, I decided to play hooky.”

Damian looked at Bruce strangely, “It’s almost a hundred degrees, Father.  Where are you going to find an ice rink?  Or, were you thinking field hockey?”

Bruce laughed aloud as his phone buzzed in his pocket.  “Hooky, Damian.  Not hockey.  It’s an old term, meaning to skip out of something.  In olden days, if someone was talking about playing hooky, it usually meant kids were skipping school.  Don’t get any ideas, though.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “What would be the point, Father?  I already finished all my school work for the year.  What do I have to skip out of?”

The cover story of studying abroad so that Damian could go under cover at the Janus School, combined with recovery time from his injuries, had necessitated that Damian be taken out of school.  Given his record of keeping up with advanced work, the school had no problem with allowing Damian to complete his sophomore year through work packets.  The family was impressed that their latest genius had completed a year’s worth of school work in just three months.  However, Damian kept the fact that he had only worked on them one to two hours a day a secret.

“What, indeed.” Bruce said with a secretive grin on his face.  “Dick and I want to talk to you about that when he gets home from work.”

Damian sat up in shock.  “Grayson’s not here?” the boy asked, concerned.

“No, he still had a few things to finish up.  Why?” Bruce’s phone vibrated again, but he ignored it again.  “Damian, this isn’t the whole…”

Damian interrupted, “No, Father.  I’m not looking for a buffer, or for a way to get away from you.”  Damian was surprised that he truly meant what he said.  It had taken a while, but he wasn’t scared of his father or brother anymore.

The boy pointed at Bruce’s pocket as the phone vibrated again, “But, you may want to answer that, if it is who I think it is.”

Bruce pulled the phone from his pocket and saw several text messages, and a missed call, from Dick.  Bruce smiled at Damian and said, “Okay, who do you think it is?”

“That’s easy, it’s Grayson,” Damian smirked back at his father.

“How did you know that?” Bruce asked, shocked.

“Think about it, Father.  You’re here.  It’s past six.  Who else would be calling?”

“Okay, omniscient one, _why_ is he calling?” Bruce asked in a catty tone.

Damian stood and stretched, his shoulders tight from a deeper sunburn than he was expecting.  “This is Grayson we’re talking about.  He can’t go two hours without talking to you; he gets the bends.”  Damian walked slowly away as he called over his shoulder to the still-seated man.  “Besides, didn’t you drive him to work this morning?”

Damian smiled as Bruce cursed and dialed Dick’s phone.  The call was answered on the first ring.

“Chum, I’m so sorry.  I totally forgot.”

“I figured as much when I got to the garage and it was empty.”  Bruce winced at the tone of Dick’s voice.  Dick continued, “Should I call a cab, or…”

“I’ll be there in half an hour, Dick.”

Bruce hung up and hurried to the house.  He caught up with Damian just outside the back door.  Something in the boy’s body language told Bruce that his child had waited for him.  Bruce placed a hand gently on Damian’s shoulder.  Damian looked up with the same expression of a normal son looking at his father, and Bruce was surprised.  He hadn’t known his son could look so innocent.

“Come on.  Put a shirt on, let’s take a ride.”

A small smile lit the boy’s tan face.  “Yes, Father.  I’d like that.”

Damian scampered upstairs as Alfred approached Bruce.  “I see you found him.”

Turning, Bruce said, “Wasn’t that hard.  He doesn’t stray far from the…Alfred?  Are you alright?”

Alfred’s jaw had dropped while Bruce was talking, and some of the color had fled from his face.  “Master Bruce, have you done something foolish?  Like messing with time, or matter-energy conversion?”

The question so threw Bruce that he could only stare at the butler for a second.  “No, Alfred.  Why do you ask?”

“Because, unless my eyes deceive me, a young Master Dick just ran up those stairs.”

Bruce took the man back into the kitchen and sat him down at the small table in the corner.  “Oh, Alfred.  This heat’s gotten to you.  You know exactly where Dick is.  You have car keys in your hand; he called you to get you to pick him up, right?”  Alfred nodded as Bruce took the keys gently from the man’s hand.  “Don’t worry about that.  Damian and I are going to go and get Dick.  Yes, that was Damian.  Why didn’t you think so?”

Alfred looked up and said, “That boy ran up those stairs, and there was a spring in his step.  In all my time with Master Damian, I have never seen a spring in his step.  It just reminded me of when Master Dick was younger.  Quite unexpected, but quite refreshing.”

Bruce smiled.  He had noticed the same spring.  “I guess he’s just in a good mood today, Alfred.  Say, Alfred, why don’t you hold dinner for a bit?  I think we’re going to make a few stops on the way home.”

Alfred gave Bruce a sly look and said, “It is, of course, your decision, but I wouldn’t recommend giving him ice cream, sir.”

Bruce shrugged, “Well, if you say…Wait.  How did you know I was thinking of taking him for ice cream?”

Alfred’s smile grew.  “Because you’re happy, sir, and he’s happy, and that is what you tend to do when your boys are happy.”

“…And I shouldn’t do that because?”

“Because I have already procured ice cream for dessert tonight, and dinner will be ready by the time you return.”

Bruce smiled again as he turned and walked out of the kitchen.  He called over his shoulder from the hallway, “You spoil us, Alfred.”

Bruce arrived in the entry hall in time to see Damian come trotting down the stairs.  The smile slipped from the boy’s face as he saw the look on his father’s face.

“Is something wrong, Father?”

Bruce shook himself and said, “No, son.  I just didn’t know you owned any tank tops.  They just seem out of line with what you normally prefer to wear.  Wait…” Bruce took a step back and read the shirt.  “That’s Tim’s, isn’t it?”

Damian looked down sheepishly, guiltily, “I…He’s not using it.  Grayson lets me borrow his, but they’re too big.”

Bruce knelt down before his son and lifted one of the loose shoulder straps.  “This one’s not all that much smaller, I think.  Does Tim approve of you borrowing his clothes?”

“…He’s let me before,” Damian mumbled.

Bruce lifted Damian’s chin gently with a two fingers, and looked the boy in the eye.  “Why are you looking so depressed, son?  I’m happy that the two of you are getting along.  I’m not accusing you of stealing, and to be honest, I don’t think Tim will mind.  Come on, let’s go.”

As they walked out the front door, Damian asked in a quiet voice, “How did you know it was Drake’s?”

Bruce smiled as he said, “I don’t think you went to math camp in 2011.  Maybe we should stop on the way home and pick you up a few of your own?”

The ride into town was quiet for the first half of the trip.  Damian was deep in thought, and he had to know something.

“Father?”

_Why does he sound so nervous?_ Bruce thought.  “What is it, son?” he asked gently.

“Um…Earlier, at…at the pool.  You did something, and…I was just wondering…”

Bruce knew what he was being asked, but he wanted to hear how Damian would phrase the question.

“Well, did Grayson tell you that I like it when he would rub my neck?”

It wasn’t quite the question that Bruce thought was coming, but it was close.  _He said like, in the present tense.  I guess I did something right._ “Did you not like it when I did it?  You seemed tense.  I thought it would help.  It looked like it helped.  I can stop, if that’s what you want.”

“No!” Damian yelped quickly, bringing a smile to Bruce’s face.  “No, please don’t stop…I mean, if you think it would be a good…bonding experience…for us…you, you don’t have to stop.”

Bruce grinned at the flustered response from his youngest before saying, “In answer to your question, yes.  Dick did tell me that he noticed that you like to have your neck rubbed, but he didn’t have to.”

Damian looked at him quizzically, “What do you mean?”

Bruce sighed contentedly and said, “I’m pleased that all of my sons have found that little trick pleasant, but even if _they_ didn’t, I knew _you_ would.  You see, I’ve learned that we are a lot closer in personality that I ever thought we would be.  I don’t remember a lot about my father, your grandfather, but I do remember melting when he would do that to me.  I loved it, and I remember him telling me that he loved it when his father would do it to him.  You are truly a Wayne, Damian.  You have picked up many of the family traits.  I’m happy that this is another one.”

Damian didn’t reply, but the contented smile told Bruce everything he needed to know.

Sitting at a stop light several blocks from Wayne Tower, Bruce pulled out his cell phone and tossed it to Damian.

“Here.  Call your brother and find out where he is in the building.”

The car started moving again as the light changed, but not before Bruce saw a playful grin cross Damian’s face.  He didn’t have to wait long to find out what the look was about.

Damian spoke into the phone, “Grayson, where are you?  Pennyworth is irate.  He says if you aren’t here for dinner in the next five minutes, he won’t feed you…Of course, you’re at home…Father got home almost an hour ago.  We’re sitting at the table waiting for you…Well then, who was that person that Father brought home?  I saw him pull up to the house, and there were two people in the car.  If it wasn’t you, then who was it?”

Damian put the phone on speaker and covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.  Dick’s voice came from the speaker, “I don’t know who it was, but it wasn’t me.  I know for a fact that you aren’t sitting next to Bruce, because he said he was coming to pick me up.”

Damian shot his father a pleading look, drawing a devious grin from Bruce.  The man said, “I’m afraid he is, chum.  Look, Alfred didn’t seem to be in the best of moods tonight.  I really wouldn’t suggest pissing him off any more than he already is.”

Damian pointed at where he could see Dick standing on the sidewalk.  He was gesticulating wildly as he spoke, “Bruce, you said you were coming to pick me up!  I’ve been standing in front of the building for the last forty minutes, waiting for you.”

The final light between the car and the building changed, and Bruce pulled up to the curb in front of Dick, with his window rolled down.  “Then I guess I should come pick you up, shouldn’t I?”

Dick rolled his eyes and got into the back of the car with a huff.  “That was really mean, you guys.  Damian, why would you go along with something like that?  It’s not really your style.”

Damian turned in his seat and said, “Are you sure about that?  It was my idea.  I had to convince Father to play along.”

Dick gaped as Bruce said, “You’re the one who taught him the finer points of joking.  You shouldn’t be surprised when one gets thrown your way.”

“I guess you’re right, Bruce.”  Dick leaned forward and gripped Damian’s shoulder.  “At least I got to keep my hair this time.  What’s wrong, D?”

Damian had winced in pain when Dick’s hand landed on his shoulder.  “Sunburn.  I fell asleep by the pool earlier.”

Dick whipped his hand back.  “Ooh, sorry.  If you want, I can rub some aloe on it for you when we get home?”  Damian nodded as Dick turned to Bruce and said, “Hey, Bruce.  Should we tell him about what we discussed?”

Bruce thought for a second before saying, “Not just yet, Dick.  We have a stop to make first.”

After a stop for a couple tank tops turned into a shopping spree resulting in almost entire new summer wardrobes for both Dick and Damian, the family reconvened in the car.  Dick and Damian sat in back while Bruce drove, and tried to get them home before they were too late for dinner.

“So, you said you were talking about me?” Damian asked curiously.

“Go ahead, Dick,” Bruce said, “It was mostly your idea.”

Dick turned to his brother and smiled, “Okay.  First, I want to tell you how proud we all are that you were not only able to finish an entire school year in just a couple months, but able to do so in an almost perfect fashion.  We got your grades this morning, and your lowest score in any of your classes was a 99%.  Good job, little brother.”

Damian gave a beaming smile at the report.  He had been nervous about the report card, since it had been over a month since he turned in his final packet.  Damian had been thinking that they would hear his grades much sooner.

Dick continued, his smile matching his brother’s.  “Now that you are done with half of high school, it’s time to start thinking about your future.  It’s still May; you have a long time until classes resume in the fall, so we have been doing some plotting on ways to keep you busy over the summer.  You’ve heard me say it before; a bored Damian is a dangerous Damian.  We can’t have dangerous Damian around every day.  He’s only allowed out on patrol.

“We came up with a couple options for you, because sitting home until September, watching movies and playing video games is not a viable option.  You could help Alfred around the house, but we can’t see that lasting the whole summer before you get bored or frustrated.  So, Bruce and I have come up with two options for you.  We are going to let you choose which one you want to do.

“Option one, you are very far ahead in your schooling.  I know what it’s like to be the youngest in the class.  I remember how frustrating and awkward it was for me.  You are even farther ahead than I was at your age.  I floated this option, and Bruce agreed to it.  I wish he had agreed to it when I was in high school, but he didn’t then.  Bruce is willing to pull you out of school and allow you to finish high school through home schooling.  Now, you will be taught by Alfred, and he will allow no slacking.  Your coursework will be harder than if you just stay in regular school, because you will be expected to complete all advanced courses.  The schools say that a ‘C’ is passing.  With Alfred, you will be lucky to get away with anything lower than perfection.  Alfred will not allow you to waste his time.  If for one second he thinks you are not giving one hundred percent effort, he will stop this experiment and put you back in regular school.  Also, since this will be adding a lot of extra work to Alfred’s day, you will be expected to assist him with household chores and any preparation activities for any summertime social occasions.  You know how busy Alfred is during the social season.  He will not hesitate to put you to work.”

Before Damian could fully consider the option, Bruce started speaking.  “Option two, I put you to work.  With Dick and Tim, it was easy to see where they would be able to fit in to the family business.  Dick is a natural leader.  People follow him gladly.  He is a people person and a showman, so it was natural to put him in contracting, with a line to a vice-presidency and eventual CEO position.

“Tim is a thinker.  He has ideas.  He is a hard worker who has also shown great compassion for his fellow employees, and his fellow man at large.  It was a no brainer to start him at Wayne Tech, then move him over to the Wayne Foundation.

“You, Damian, are a strategist.  I can see you doing great things with your life to help the world, or to rule it, whichever suits your fancy.  But, when it comes to the business world, I honestly don’t know where you fit in.  At the rate you’re going, you will graduate high school by the time you’re fourteen, and college by the time you’re eighteen.  That will come about very fast, and you need to know what you want to do with your life before all that happens.  Strategy is great, it will take you far, but if you’re going to run my company, you need more than that.”

Damian looked up, shocked, “Wait, run your company?  What about Grayson?”

“Dick may run it for a while, until you’re ready, but eventually you will have to take the reins.  It doesn’t say ‘Grayson Enterprises’, or ‘Drake Enterprises’, or even ‘Todd Enterprises’ on the side of the building.  It says ‘Wayne Enterprises’.  That’s you.  My legacy, carried out in my son.  It’s long since time that we got you ready to take over.”

Dick looked over at Damian, who had stilled and grown noticeably paler as the conversation went on.  “Damian, what’s wrong?”

Bruce glanced at the horrified expression on Damian’s face in the rearview mirror.  Damian swallowed hard before saying in a quiet, shaky voice, “Can we talk about something else?”

“Damian, what is it?” Bruce was considering pulling over at the look on his son’s face.

Damian was breathing heavily as he whispered, “All this talk about taking over the company.  I mean, why does that have to be decided now?  Why are you talking like this is happening now?  You’re not…sick or anything, are you?  Where do you fit in to all of this?  I don’t…”

“Damian?”  _What did I say that turned this conversation so…morbid?_

Damian spoke to his lap as he said, “You can’t leave us again, Father.  You just can’t.  Not again.  I…We…” Damian sighed and met his father’s eyes in the rearview mirror, “I don’t want to lose you again.  I don’t want your company if it means you won’t be there.”

_So, that’s it.  I was gone once, and now…_ “Son, I’m not talking about you being expected to run Wayne Enterprises tomorrow.  I’m just trying to get you prepared to take a role in the family business.  I’m not going anywhere, but I would like to retire eventually.  In the future, the distant future, when that happens, I want to know that you have been prepared to the best of my ability for your future role.”

Damian closed his eyes as Dick pulled the boy tight into his side.  Bruce continued, “Damian, even if I were dying, which I’m not, the only thing I would feel bad about is not getting to watch you grow up.  I know you would be cared for, and loved.  It happened once before, and I have no doubt that it would happen again.”

Damian gave a sob at Bruce’s choice of words.  “Yes, Father.  It happened before.  What’s to stop it from happening again?  I don’t want you to leave us again, Father.”

_Oh, no.  That was a poor choice of words, Bruce._   “I didn’t mean the leaving part would happen again.  I meant the part where you were cared for and loved.  I’m not going anywhere, son.”

“Good.  Don’t _ever_ let it happen again, okay?  You aren’t allowed.”

“Okay, son.” Bruce said softly, “Now, about…”

“It can wait, Bruce,” Dick interrupted softly.  Bruce looked in the rearview mirror and saw Damian had his face buried in Dick’s chest.

As soon as Bruce pulled into the garage, Damian climbed over Dick to get out of the car on the same side as Bruce.  He wrapped himself silently around Bruce’s waist, shocking the man with how tight he was holding on.

“Dick,” Bruce said quietly, “Why don’t you let Alfred know we’re back, and that we’ll be in in a bit.”

Dick walked away with a nod, lightly cupping the back of Damian’s head as he passed.  Damian didn’t notice the touch as he filled his senses with Bruce.

After a silent minute, Damian took a half-step back and spoke quietly, staring at the floor.  “I’m sorry, Father.  I’m sorry I’m so weak.  It’s just…you scared me, just now.  You see, I had no one, then I had you, but I didn’t know what I had.  Then I lost you, and I found out what I was missing.  Then I got you back, and I’ve been trying to make the best of it.  Now, you were talking like I was going to lose you again, and I can’t…I just can’t.”

Bruce knelt and pulled the boy in for a tight hug.  He whispered in his boy’s ear, “You’re not weak, son.  It takes a strong, brave person to admit to being scared like you just did.  I didn’t mean to scare you.  I just wanted to issue you a challenge for your upcoming summer.  I wanted to put it in a way that would sound like an accomplishment to you.  I want you to come to work _with_ me, and be able to work with every level of employee that works for me.  I want you to have an understanding of every facet of our business, from what happens in the parking garage, all the way up to the boardroom.  Not because you need to take over for me any time soon, but because it’s ours, and you need to know about it.  The earlier you start learning, the better.  It wasn’t meant to be scary, and I’m sorry if it was.”

Damian nodded and said, “Now that you put it that way, it isn’t really so scary, Father.  I guess it was just…no, never mind.”

Bruce pulled back and looked at Damian with concern.  “What is it, son?  I want to know.  I can’t help you if I don’t know.”

Damian sighed, “It was the dream.  The one I was having when you woke me up this afternoon.”

“Tell me about it, Damian.”

Damian drew a shuddering breath at the memory.  “I was back in the dark room.  You came for me, not Batman, you.  You opened the door and smiled at me, but I couldn’t get up.  I couldn’t get out of the room.  I wanted to, but I couldn’t.  You were calling for me to come to you, but I couldn’t move.  I begged you to come and get me, but you couldn’t enter the room.  You were yelling at me, screaming, wondering why I didn’t want to come home with you.  I did.  I wanted more than anything to be able to get up and leave with you, but I couldn’t.  I couldn’t move.  I couldn’t talk.  You started yelling at me for being weak.  You were yelling that if I didn’t get up right now, I would lose you forever.  I would be left behind, alone in the dark, like the failure I am.”

Damian trailed off as Bruce picked him up and carried him into the house.  _I didn’t know he was still having nightmares about the school, and what happened to him there.  Why hasn’t he told me?_ “It didn’t happen, and you’re not a failure.  I’m sorry you saw that, but that’s not how we see you.”

Dick smiled as Bruce carried Damian into the dining room.  To Bruce’s great relief, the house felt much cooler now than it had when he arrived home from work.

“Hey.  I was starting to worry about you two.  Did you explain his second option to him already?”

Bruce put Damian down, but the boy didn’t stray far from his father.  Bruce looked up at Dick and said, “Huh?  No, we were talking about…other things.”

Dick looked concerned.  “What sort of…”

Bruce interrupted with a _drop it_ glare, and said, “What matters now is that we’re ready for dinner, and we can talk about his summer plans while we eat.”

Alfred entered the room carrying plates.  Damian spoke up softly as one was placed before him.  “Pennyworth, I’m sorry we’re late.  It was my fault.  I hope we didn’t inconvenience you too much.”

Alfred looked up, shocked, “Inconvenience me?  It’s your dinner that may be at a less than optimal temperature.  It doesn’t bother me in the least.  _I_ ate while you were out gallivanting around the city, so it really doesn’t bother me if you all chose to have a cold dinner.”

Damian looked up at the man, his jaw sagging.  Alfred was waiting for the look, and shot a wink and a grin at the boy when their eyes met.  A very un-League of Assassins giggle escaped the boy as the butler walked out of the room, smiling.  Dick had informed the butler of the discussion in the car, and Alfred was determined to get the happy boy of this afternoon back.  His efforts obviously helped, if the laugh was any indication.

As the meal wound down, Bruce looked at the boy at his side and asked, “Damian, can we talk about your summer plans again?  Now, that I hope I’ve convinced you that, while I am grooming you to take over my position in the company, I intend to hold it myself for a long time to come?”

Damian took a deep breath and let it out slowly before speaking, “Yes, Father.  I think we can try again.”

Bruce gripped Damian’s shoulder firmly, then whipped his hand back with remorse.  “Sorry, son.  Forgot about the sunburn.”

“It’s okay,” Damian winced.  Dick grimaced while trying not to laugh.

“Okay, like I said earlier, I don’t know where you fit in to the corporate structure of Wayne Enterprises yet.  Dick and Tim, and to an extent, me, were all put into one role, and that’s where we’ve stayed.  Now, I know you did some behind the scenes work for Dick when he was running things, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t have done himself, and not anything that could really lend itself to a company job.  What I have in mind is an actual position within the company.  Unofficially, of course.”

“Unofficially?” Damian asked.

Bruce smiled, “Of course, unofficially.  Damian, you’re twelve years old.  There are laws against child labor in this country.  Now, I know you can make things happen when you need to.  I know you’re capable of hard work, but all your training so far has been in…let’s say it’s been in fields not conducive to a corporate environment.  It’s possible that your talents don’t lie in the business world, and if they don’t, I won’t be disappointed.  Look at your grandfather, he was a brilliant surgeon.  He left Wayne Enterprises to be run by the board of directors.  It survived until I was able to take over.  If you don’t end up taking over the family business, it will survive through the board of directors again, and through Dick and Tim.”  Bruce smirked at the boy, “I know you would rather take over the family _night_ business, but like the day business, you have to grow into that one, too.

“Now, what I propose is we start you out at the bottom.  I can’t just bring you in as a junior executive at twelve years old.  I’m not saying you aren’t capable of performing just as well as some of the junior executives, but you’re twelve years old.  The board of directors would wrest the company from my control so fast that our heads would spin.  Before you say anything, hear me out.  I want to start you in the mailroom.  Now, just wait.”

Damian had given his father a dubious look and opened his mouth to comment.  Bruce continued, “Just listen first, okay?  I have an opening to fill over the summer in the mailroom, so you wouldn’t be bumping anyone out of a job to do this.  I want you to start at the bottom in order to get full exposure to all parts of the company.  If you are able to put yourself in the shoes of the lowliest employee, you are better able to understand them, and you will have a little more compassion for them.  That all goes towards making you a good leader.  I know your mother gave you leadership training, but my company is not a dictatorship, and we do not lead our employees into battle.  It will be good for you to see the difference.  Plus, the mailroom makes use of several of your natural abilities and talents.  You have to be detail-oriented.  You have to be able to work fast and accurately, and you have to be sneaky.”

Damian had been about to scoff at a mailroom job as too easy for someone of his talents, until Bruce mentioned the last trait.  It caught his interest.  “Why does a mailroom employee have to be sneaky, Father?”

Bruce smiled, knowing Damian was warming up to the idea.  “I’m glad you asked.  What it comes down to is that people can’t know you’re there.  Everyone in the mailroom will know that you’re there, they would have to, but there will be no general announcement to the company as a whole that the boss’s underage son is working for Wayne Enterprises.  I can’t see anyone in the building objecting to a new mailroom employee, so long as they still get their mail.  The mailroom employees have to be a bit sneaky normally, just to get their job done.  They can’t get in the way of daily operations, so they have to learn how to get around the building without getting in anyone’s way.  It’s very rare to see the mailroom guys doing their work, because they do it so well and effortlessly.  That doesn’t mean it is an easy job.  This won’t be an easy assignment for you, but I know you can do it.  Even if you do get good at the work, the work environment will be the real challenge for you.  You see, people will make assumptions about you without ever meeting you.  They will make assumptions because of your connection to me, because of your age, and just because you are the new person at work.

“Also, while you’re there, you can’t play on the fact that you’re my son.  Any disputes have to be taken to your supervisor.  I’m not going to be your direct supervisor.  When I run this by the head of the mailroom, he will be made well aware that you are to be treated just like any other employee under his command.  That means he will have the ability to fire you if you aren’t doing your job.  You can’t threaten him with me firing him, unless he’s doing something illegal or against company policies.  You will have basically no contact with me, or Dick or Tim, for that matter, unless you are assigned to deliver our mail.  This is a real job, albeit without several key employment perks.”

Damian was seriously considering the proposal when he said, “What sort of perks will I be missing out on?”

Bruce looked a little uncomfortable as he said, “You remember when I said you have to be sneaky?  Wayne Enterprises is subject to all sorts of audits and inspections and investigations.  It’s pretty widely announced when there are auditors in the building, so it is no secret.  What will have to be kept a secret is the fact that you’re working there.  That means if you are notified of auditors in the building, you drop what you’re doing and come to me.  That is the only time during your work day that you are allowed to have familiar contact with me.  We will play it off like I brought my son to work for the day.  It also means that you can’t show up on any corporate lists.  That, unfortunately for you, includes payroll.”

Damian looked confused, “Why would it matter to me if I don’t show up on the payroll list.”

“It matters, because if you don’t show up on the payroll list, you don’t draw a paycheck.”

Damian sat up, “Wait, you want me to go to work for your company, and not pay me?  I know I’m underage, but isn’t that slavery?  You can’t even pay me under the table?”

“There can be no official mention of you as an employee of the company.  I can’t even list you as an intern, because you’re too young for that, too.  That said, I wouldn’t dream of proposing something like this without making it worth your while.  You just can’t draw a paycheck like a normal employee.  We can discuss suitable compensation when you make your decision on which option sounds best to you.”

Damian thought about his options for several minutes.  It was obvious which option Bruce and Dick wanted him to choose, just in the way they presented it.  _It would be nice to be challenged in my schoolwork for once, but actually doing a job sounds like fun.  Oh my god, did I really just think something would be fun just now?  Grayson has been a bad influence on me.  What the hell…this will be fun._

“Father, earlier you described this summer as a challenge, and as much as I want to be done with that idiot institution you force me to attend that claims to be giving me an education, I accept your challenge.  It sounds more educational than school, at least.  When do I start?”

Bruce and Dick both broke out in proud smiles as Alfred came into the room with their promised ice cream.

“I knew he’d pick that one, Bruce,” Dick said.

“Pick which one, sirs?” Alfred asked.  Dick had informed the butler of the choice being put before Damian tonight.

“We have the newest, unofficial, employee of Wayne Enterprises here, Alfred,” Bruce said proudly.

“Oh,” The butler said with a hint of a grin.  “I was looking forward to having an assistant this summer.”

“You’ll still get your chance, Alfred.  He’s not going to be working every day.” Damian opened his mouth to comment, but Bruce cut him off.  “While we want to keep you busy this summer, it is still summer, and you have earned the right to relax.  Besides, there is a planned government audit the third week of July.  It would be too suspicious if you were there every day.”

“…I guess that is acceptable, Father.  You never answered my question, though.  When do I start?”

Bruce threw an arm around Damian’s shoulder lightly and said, “Not for a couple weeks.  I have to talk to Jerry, the head of the mailroom.  Then we have to work out your schedule, and make sure you have plenty of summer on your schedule.”

“I’m ready to start working, Father,” Damian said excitedly.

“I know you are, son, but it’s summer, and you’re twelve.  I expect you to do a lot of what I found you doing today, son.”

“What was he doing?” Dick asked, interested.

Bruce smiled, “Sleeping by the pool.”

Damian blushed with a hint of embarrassment, “We told you that already.  Where did you think the sunburn came from?”

Dick smiled, “Right.  Anyway, you can’t start until I teach you all about the business world.”

Damian snorted, a wry smile playing at his lips.  “Okay, but who is going to teach you, Grayson?”

Dick gave an offended stare, but softened it with a wink.  “Keep that up and I won’t share the most important thing anyone entering the business world needs to learn.”  Dick held a hand to the side of his mouth and whispered, like he was trying to keep a secret from Bruce, who was still sitting next to Damian.  “It’s something that is so hard to do in the business world, that even the great businessman Bruce Wayne hasn’t managed to do it in over ten years.”

Damian cocked his head, intrigued.  _How has Grayson accomplished something that has eluded Father for that long?_   “What is it, Grayson?”

Dick smiled and said, “I will tell you that tomorrow, after dinner.”

Damian’s eyes widened, “What?  Why?  Why can’t you tell me now?  It’s after dinner.”

Dick’s smile grew, “Yes, but it isn’t _tomorrow_ after dinner.  Learning patience is part of it, so this will be a good exercise for you.”

“Fine,” Damian grumbled.  Turning to his father, Damian asked, “Are we going on patrol tonight?”

Bruce looked at his son critically and said, “It’s technically a school night, soon to be a work night.  But, given your grades, I think you’ve earned a weeknight patrol.”

Damian smiled as Dick cleared his throat dramatically.  Bruce sighed, rolled his eyes, and said, “Ugh.  The things I let you get away with, Dick.”  Bruce turned back to the confused-looking boy and droned out, “You can patrol tonight so long as you don’t try to pester anyone, including Alfred, for any hints regarding what Dick has promised to let you in on tomorrow night, after dinner.  There, you happy, Dick?”

Dick gave a toothy grin, “Very.  You heard him, Damian, no hints.”

“Fine, whatever,” Damian turned back to his father, “Can we patrol the docks tonight?  There is always something happening at the docks.”

_Tomorrow, Before Dinner…_

Dick popped his head around the corner, looking into Damian’s room, and smiled broadly.  Damian was sitting as his desk, intently concentrating on the drawing he was currently working on, his tongue slightly protruding from his lips as he concentrated.  Dick’s grin grew as he walked stealthily up behind his brother to stare over his shoulder.

Dick took in the drawing, and was surprised.  Instead of animals or cityscape, which were Damian’s normal, go-to artistic endeavors, the drawing was all concentric shapes and lines.  If the child hadn’t been concentrating so hard, Dick might have been convinced that Damian had just been scribbling.  As much as the picture was a discordant mess, there was also a subtle beauty in the simple complexity.

“Hey little brother,” Dick called out cheerily from just behind the boy.

Damian gasped and jumped in his chair, sending his pencil across the page in a heavy, broad arc.  “God damn it, Grayson.  I’ve told you not to do that.”  Damian blushed as he turned to look at his brother.

“What?  Sneak up on you?  Older brother’s prerogative.”

Damian looked up sheepishly and mumbled, “Yes, that.  There was a time when doing that to me would result in the loss of your head.  I’m trying, Grayson.  I really am.”

“I know, Little D.” Dick put a hand on Damian’s shoulder.  To his satisfaction, Damian didn’t flinch.

Instead, the boy turned back to his drawing and said, “Yeah, but look what you made me do.”

Man and boy considered the drawing for a minute before Damian cocked his head and said, “Actually, it looks better like that.  Thank you, Grayson.”

Dick smiled and asked, “While I’m glad you’re not mad about the drawing, I have to ask, what is it?”

Damian reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a large book and set it on the desktop.  “Drake gave me this for Christmas.  He called it an adult coloring book.  I thought it would be full of pictures of naked people and alcohol bottles, but it’s all these shapes.  It’s supposed to be calming.  I thought I would take it one step further and draw my own.”

Dick’s smile brightened up the room.  “You know, I think that’s great.  Tim wasn’t sure if you liked the book.  He was concerned, since he hadn’t seen you use it.  You really did like it, didn’t you?”

Damian looked back at the cover of the book, now curling and fraying from the use he had put the book to.  “Yes, I do.”

Blushing again, Damian turned back to Dick and asked, “Did you come in here for a reason, or are you just trying to annoy me?”

Dick smiled.  _I guess that’s all for daily ‘nice Damian’ time._   “Dinner’s ready.  I thought you’d like to come down and eat with the family.”

Damian stood, stretching after sitting for several hours in one spot, and said, “Since Pennyworth won’t allow me to eat anywhere else, what choice do I have?”

Dick looked mildly depressed at the implication that Damian would rather be elsewhere.  Damian found that he felt guilty when he saw the look on his brother’s face and realized that he put it there.  Dick walked slowly from the room, leaving a stunned Damian behind.

Damian rushed to catch up and placed a hand on Dick’s forearm gently.  Dick turned, and Damian gave him his soft, true smile, catching the older man off guard.  “I guess you and Father aren’t that bad of dining companions.  I think I could even stand Drake’s company, for a while, at least.  When…when does he get back?”

Dick smiled and slung an arm around Damian’s shoulders, thinking, _You can’t fool me, Damian.  You like Tim.  Sometimes I think you like him more than you like me lately._   Dick pulled Damian in close and said, “Aww, you do miss him.  I told Timmy that you would.  Let’s see, the trade show is over in a couple days.  He should be back from Germany on Sunday.”

Tim was currently at an electronics trade show in Berlin, demonstrating the new Wayne Tech Super Laptop, version 2.0.  Bruce had figured that, since the laptop was originally Tim’s idea, he would be the best person to present it at its debut.  It meant that Tim had to leave for Germany the day after his twentieth birthday, but Bruce could think of no one better suited to represent the company at this show.

The brothers entered the dining room, and Damian stopped at the door when he saw who was sitting at the table.  He shook his head as he said, “Geez, Todd.  Why don’t you just move back in?  You’re here enough lately.”

Jason shot Bruce a look that Damian couldn’t quite read before responding.  “Whose fault is that, Demon?”  Jason shot an evil smile at the youth.  “You’re the one who told me to come by more.  What did you say?  ‘Build up a tolerance?’  I guess you convinced me.”

“I didn’t think you’d actually do it, Todd,” the boy grumbled as he took a seat next to Dick.

Bruce looked over the top of the newspaper he had been reading and smiled gently at the boys sitting at his dining room table.  _I never knew having all of them together would be this fulfilling.  Next week, everything will be perfect.  Tim will be home, and the five of us will be able to sit down for the first meal we have ever had together.  Christmas dinner doesn’t count, since we were still recovering from everything that happened._   Bruce smirked internally as a new thought hit him.  _Or, the house will crumble and fall off its foundation at the ferocity of the battle that will ensue._

Jason had been coming around far more than ever, since his surprise appearance at Christmas dinner.  However, something had always occurred to keep one or more of them from being home during his visits, and as such, there had not been a chance for the family dinner with all present since the impromptu Christmas gathering.  Listening to what Jason said, Bruce decided he would have to ask later about when Jason and Damian had talked, and what the boy had said to convince Jason to do anything.

Alfred started bringing plates into the dining room, and was surprised to see everyone seated and conversing civilly.  “Ah, Master Damian.  Thank you for being punctual tonight.”

“I…thank Grayson.  He’s the one who informed me that dinner was ready,” Damian mumbled, not really sure why he chose to mention that tonight’s timeliness was not his own doing.

Bruce looked over at his son, accurately interpreting the look on the boy’s face.  “Damian, you’ve lived here for over two years.  You should know the routine by now.  Alfred serves dinner at seven every night that there are people here to eat it.”

“Still,” Dick said, “Thanks for not arguing when I came to get you.”

“But…” Damian started, before shutting his mouth.

“Damian?” Bruce asked, as Alfred set a plate before the boy.

Damian sighed, “I did argue, Father.”

Dick turned to face his littlest brother and said, “I don’t think so.  Compared to what you used to do, you really didn’t.  And, even if you think you did, you still made up for it.”

“Wait, what did he say?” Bruce asked, sitting up to pay closer attention.

“It doesn’t matter, Bruce,” Dick said, trying to shift the focus off of Damian.  “What matters is that he saw that what he said didn’t sit too well with me, and immediately worked to fix it, which he did very well.”

Damian sighed again and spoke to his plate.  “He said to come and eat with the family.  I said Pennyworth wouldn’t let me eat anywhere else, and I didn’t have a choice if I wanted to eat.  Grayson didn’t like that choice of words.”

“…And you made up for it by showing genuine interest in the family,” Dick said while rubbing Damian’s head.

“Hm.” Bruce stared at Damian.  He honestly hadn’t expected Damian to offer any further explanation.  His son looked uncomfortable at the scrutiny as Bruce said, “You didn’t argue, son.  Don’t look so guilty, you’re not in trouble.”

“Thank you, Father,” Damian said quietly as he bowed his head and ate.  He contributed nothing to the conversation going on around him, much like almost every meal for the past several months.

“Mmph.” Damian sputtered and almost spit out his milk.

Dick turned to the boy seated at his side and said, “Something wrong, Damian?”

Jason smirked as a line of milk dribbled from the corner of Damian’s mouth.  “Drinking problem, Demon?”

If he hadn’t been struggling to swallow what was in his mouth, he would have shot a glare at his second brother.  As it was, Dick glared and said, “Jay, please don’t call him that.  He has a name.  It hurts him when people call him that.  You learned to call Tim by his name, why can’t you call Damian by his?”

“What’s wrong, son,” Bruce asked.

Damian swallowed roughly and said, “There’s something wrong with the milk.  It tastes strange.”

Bruce took a sip from the glass before him and said, “Tastes alright to me.  Alfred?”

The summoned butler entered from the kitchen and asked, “Sir?”

Damian spoke up.  “Pennyworth, this milk tastes weird.  Is it from an old carton?”

Alfred looked shocked.  “No, young sir.  I purchased it yesterday, and opened it this morning.  It is the same milk you had on your cereal this morning.”

Damian was lifting his glass to sniff at the white liquid, but stopped and looked up, saying, “You made waffles this morning, Pennyworth.”

“I had cereal before going to work this morning,” Dick said, “It tasted fine then.  Try it again.”

Damian took another drink, this time only barely stopping himself from spitting it out when Jason said, “Alfred got it from your cow, so it should be fresh.”

Swallowing painfully, Damian said, “Batcow is a bull.  I don’t want to drink anything that was held under him.”  He started to push the glass away.

“He’s just joking, Damian,” Dick said, again glaring at Jason.  “You’re not helping anything, Jay.  Maybe you’re coming down with a cold, Little D?  Things taste different when you’re sick.”

“May I be excused, Father?  I think Grayson may be right.”  The boy’s stomach had started churning just a bit, making him wonder if he really was getting sick.

Not looking up from the paper he was again reading, Bruce said in a bored tone of voice, “Don’t waste food, Damian.  Finish your milk; there’s nothing wrong with it.  Then you may be excused.”

“…Yes, Father.”

Feeling stranger by the second, Damian took a deep breath and downed the rest of the glass as quickly as he could.  Instantly, his head began swimming.

_This isn’t right.  I must be sicker than I thought, like Grayson said.  But, I felt fine before dinner.  They wouldn’t…they couldn’t…they didn’t poison me, did they?  Why would they?  What did I do wrong?_

Damian’s vision dimmed as he felt himself swaying in his chair.  He was only vaguely aware of Dick’s arm wrapping gently around his shoulders and directing the boy to fall against the older brother’s side.  He couldn’t tell who said what, but his last two clear memories were of one voice asking, ‘Are you sure this is a good idea?’, while another voice said, ‘Sweet dreams, Damian.’

A gray fuzz slowly lifted from Damian’s mind as he swam back to consciousness.  The first thing he became aware of was an odd buzzing, followed by an unsteady vibration.  The occasional bump and jerk worked its way through the boy.

_What happened?  I’m in a car.  Did someone kidnap me?  That was stupid of them.  They obviously don’t know who they grabbed.  Wait, what happened to Father and Grayson, for someone to be able to grab me?  The last thing I remember was…no.  It can’t be.  They couldn’t have had something to do with my abduction, could they?  What did I do to deserve this?_

A particularly hard bump assisted in clearing Damian’s mind just a little bit more.  _Wait, I’m belted into a car, and I think I’m in the front seat!  This will be the last mistake this kidnapper ever makes._

With a battle cry and a heavy grunt, Damian threw the strongest elbow he could manage at the driver of the car.  To his surprise, his arm was caught and held firmly, but not painfully, by…

“Grayson?  What the hell is going on?”  Damian was greatly confused right now.  Nothing was making sense, and the headache he woke up with wasn’t helping.

Dick smiled over at the boy.  He had heard Damian moaning and shifting around as he slowly worked his way back to consciousness.  “Good morning, sleeping beauty.”

Damian looked around, his confusion growing.  He was belted into the passenger seat of a car, driving down the highway, but he didn’t recognize the scenery.  “Grayson, where are we?”

Dick looked around and said, “Uh…somewhere in Virginia?  Not exactly sure where; I haven’t seen a sign in a while.  I know we are about half way to our final destination.”

Damian opened his mouth to ask another question, but closed it quickly with a snap, to keep himself from throwing up on the dashboard.  Dick saw the boy’s distress and pressed the button to roll down the passenger side window to allow some fresh air into the cab.  Damian all but stuck his head out of the window, his hair whipping around his head.  Ever since his time spent undercover late last year, Damian had been preferring to wear his hair just a bit longer than usual.  It was nowhere near the shoulder-length, flowing mane he wore as his undercover identity Rome, but it more than covered his ears.  Dick had to bite his lip to keep from laughing as the boy’s hair flapped like a dog’s ears in the wind.

Even with the fresh air, Damian still looked green around the gills.  “Hmm…Maybe a little too much of the sleeping juice.  I need to stop for gas anyway, let’s pull off here, and you can get some air.”  Damian nodded gently as Dick aimed the car for the next off ramp.  He decided to hold his next attack until he had a better explanation of what was going on, and until his stomach wasn’t fighting him just as hard as he planned on fighting Dick.

The car was still moving when Damian threw his door open, jumped out, and hung his head over the nearest trash can.  The pained sounds of a rebelling stomach caused Dick to wince, and heads to turn in the boy’s direction from all over the gas station.  Dick shook his head as he began refueling the car.

Dick pulled out his cell phone as Damian staggered back and slumped into his seat.  Bruce answered on the second ring.

“Hello?”

“Hey.”

Dick could hear the grin in Bruce’s voice.  “Hey, chum.  How’s it going?”

Dick looked through the open door at the pale boy in the passenger seat.  “He just woke up.  He’s not too happy right now, but I haven’t had a chance to explain anything yet.”

Bruce sounded confused, “Why not?”

Dick leaned against the car and said, “Well, he’s a bit confused, and a bit sick.  I might not have been too far off when I asked if he was getting sick last night.  We also might have used too much Pentothal.”

Bruce’s confusion morphed into concern.  “Why, what’s happening?”

As Bruce asked, Damian made his second run for the trash can.  The sound of retching could clearly be heard through the phone.  Bruce winced as he said, “Never mind, I get it.  That wasn’t in the car, was it?  I hear vomit is hard to get out of Porsche.”

Dick gave an overdramatic gasp as he said, “Bruce, you know how much I love this car.  Do you think I would still be talking to you if he were puking in it?  We stopped for gas and a hurl just outside of Norfolk, Virginia.”

Bruce said, “You’re making good time.”

“Yeah.  I wanted to get at least halfway there before he woke up.  I figure I’ll have to slow down, now that Little D is awake, especially if he’s sick.”

Bruce cleared his throat and said, “I think you may be forgetting something, Dick.”

Dick sighed and rolled his eyes.  “Fine, you won the bet.  He tried to attack me when he woke up, but stopped once he realized it was me.”

Bruce was chuckling on the other end of the phone.  “Let me talk to him.”

Damian slumped back into the car as Dick said, “Sure.  I’ll put you on speaker.”  He pressed an icon on the screen, adjusted the volume, and set the phone down on the center console.  “Go ahead, Bruce.”

Dick got out of the car to finish refueling as Bruce spoke.  “Damian?”

The boy responded weakly, “Father?  Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

“In a minute, son.  First, how are you feeling?”

Damian looked at the phone strangely and answered sarcastically, “Terrific.  I just thought I would try the supermodel diet.  I think I’ve thrown up everything I’ve eaten for the past week in the last ten minutes.”  Damian took a deep breath, his voice sounding smaller to Bruce, “Are…are you sending me away?  Did I do something wrong?  Is…is Grayson taking me to a…a boarding school, or something…something away from…”  Damian trailed off, not wanting to continue for fear of begging Bruce to let him stay at home.

Bruce’s jaw dropped as he listened to his son.  “Far from it, Damian.  Why would I do that, after we talked about you working at Wayne Enterprises this summer?”

Damian answered weakly, “I just thought…”

Damian trailed off again, not wanting to reveal his insecurities when he had so recently gotten over another set.

“No, son.  None of that.  No sadness; no insecurities.  You haven’t done anything wrong.  You have too much to look forward to right now.  Dick will explain everything, I just wanted to give you some advice.”

“Advice?” Damian asked, slowly becoming interested in the upcoming events.

“Yes, advice.  I know you, or at least, I like to think I do.  I know that when Dick tells you what is in store for you, you’re going to balk.  You’re going to want him to turn the car around and bring you home.  I just want to tell you to think about it first, and give it a chance.  It might not be so bad.  You two are going far from home.  You don’t have to worry about keeping up appearances, or impressing anyone.  You are just a boy, out for a fun trip with your older brother.”

“Fun,” Damian asked, interrupting.

Bruce grinned, “Yes, having fun is the general concept of this trip.  No one there will know you, except Dick.  No one will expect anything from you, with the possible exception of Dick.  He will expect you to try to enjoy yourself.  I want you to try, too.  You and Dick need this time together.  I’m sure he will tell you a dozen times over the next few days, but he feels really bad that he hasn’t been around much for you the last couple months.  He wanted to do this as a way to make up for it.  You are allowed to enjoy yourself, Damian.  I know you can do it.”

Damian sat, thinking.  _They aren’t sure if I’m going to like their little surprise._   “Father?”

“Yes, son?” Bruce’s reply held just a hint of nerves.

“Is this…is this something Grayson will like?”

Bruce snorted a laugh, “Oh yeah.  But, he wants you to enjoy it with him.  He put a lot of thought into what you two could do together that you would both enjoy.  He worked really hard on this.  A lot of time, effort, and planning went into this.  He worked really hard to make sure you didn’t find out about this beforehand.  I’m not trying to put any pressure on you, or guilt you into doing something you don’t want to do, Damian.  I just want you to realize the effort your brother put in for you.”

“…Very well, Father.  If it will make Grayson happy, I can at least hear him out.”  _I like making Grayson happy, almost as much as I enjoy making you happy, Father._

“Damian,” Bruce said warningly, “Don’t put yourself through something you’re going to hate just to please him.”

Damian sounded concerned as he asked, “Am I going to hate it, Father?”

“You know, I don’t really think you will.  You may be a bit uncomfortable at first, but I think, deep down, there is some part of you that will want to do this.  Try to indulge that part of yourself.  Hopefully, it isn’t buried too deep.  I give you permission to have fun and enjoy yourself.  You have a nice smile, you should use it more.  Maybe this will help.”

Dick sat back in the car, not letting on that he had listened to the entire conversation through the open door.  “Are we all good here?”

“What do you say, Damian?  Are you willing to at least listen?” Bruce asked through the phone.

Dick shot Damian such a pleading look that Damian wondered how rainbows and puppies weren’t shooting out of his brother’s eyes.  “I can listen.  It’s a long walk back to Gotham, so I don’t really have another choice, right?”

Dick’s smile dimmed almost to the point of disappearing.  Damian had meant it as a joke, but the boy had never been trained in comic timing or inflection, and it came across flat and uninterested-sounding.  “Thanks, Bruce.  I’ll call you later.”

“Have fun, you two,” Bruce called through the phone before hanging up.  He had thought his youngest son may have been trying to make a joke, but after hearing Dick’s tone of voice, Bruce wasn’t so sure anymore.  _I hope they can work everything out.  I wonder if I should be expecting them home tonight._

Dick sighed before he started the car and pulled away from the pump.  Damian’s eyes widened and he exclaimed, “Grayson, wait!”

Dick slammed on the brakes and looked around for some sort of danger that would cause the boy to call out like that.  Seeing nothing, he asked, “What?”

“I’m feeling a little better, but I don’t think I’m ready for the interstate again just yet.”

Dick let out an exasperated breath.  “I figured as much, but there is a line of cars behind us.  I’m just going to pull in front of the mini-mart.”

“Oh, okay.”

Dick smiled as he pulled up to the store.  “Besides, it’s a long way to our destination.  We need to get some snacks and drinks, and I’m sure you could use a couple Dramamine.  Want to come with?  You can get whatever you want.”  Damian nodded, and they entered the store.

Damian quickly headed for the back of the store, Dick following nervously.  Dick caught him just before Damian grabbed the handle for the restroom door.  “Are you feeling okay, Damian?”

“I’m not going to throw up, if that’s what you’re really asking.  I also haven’t used a restroom since yesterday afternoon.  You should be familiar with the reason why.”

Dick backed up as Damian closed the door.  The older brother was wondering if Damian had put together that Dick had drugged him, and if that would affect his decision on whether they continued south, or turned north again.

Exiting the restroom several minutes later, Damian saw Dick walking up and down each aisle, randomly tossing items into a basket.  It was already overflowing with chips and candy, and every now and then Dick had to move things around in order to not have to pick them up off the ground again.  Shaking his head, Damian took his own lap around the store, ending up with a big bottle of water, a bottle of Cherry Coke, a bag of Chili Cheese Fritos, and a book of crossword puzzles.

Meeting up with Dick at the cash register, the taller man gave the boy a beaming smile and said, “Huh.  That’s strange.”

Damian looked at the items in his hands, wondering if he did something wrong.  “What’s strange?”

Dick shrugged, “I just never figured you for a Cherry Coke and Chili Cheese Fritos person, that’s all.”

“You said I could get anything I wanted.”  Damian’s voice was a bit timid as he spoke.  Damian’s tastes had almost always lined up with Dick’s.  Looking covertly at Dick’s basket, he didn’t see any of his chosen items.  Damian had never tried either of the items that Dick seemed to take issue with, and had felt like branching out.  The last two times he had tried a favored item of another brother, other than Dick, it had worked out well.  Alfred was now compelled to keep a tin of butterscotch cookies next to the tin of chocolate chip cookies, as Damian was now quite fond of both Dick’s and Jason’s favored flavors.  Damian also now kept a hidden stash of Funyuns in the house, another item he found that he liked after hearing Jason talk about them and trying them for himself.  Today, he felt like trying two items that he had seen in Tim’s apartment.  Damian and Tim had spent a good deal of bonding time together over the last few months, and Damian had seen several empty bags of the chips in his garbage, and several bottles of the drink in his refrigerator.  Now was as good a time as any to see if Tim was as much a snack connoisseur as Dick and Jason were.

Dick’s voice broke into Damian’s thoughts.  “Is that all you’re getting?”

Damian looked up, confused, “Yes.  Why?”

Dick shrugged, “Maybe you want to get bigger sizes, then?  We still have a long way to go.”

“How long?” Damian asked, curious.

“Oh, maybe eight hours, or so.”

Damian’s eyes bulged.  “Eight hours?  Where are we going, Mexico?”

“Close.  Actually, not close at all.  Florida.”

Damian nodded slowly before walking back to the store.  A minute later, he returned with larger sizes of his selections, and bottles of Dramamine and Tums.  He also had grabbed several more magazines and a pack of pens.

Dick smiled as the boy returned and said, “Now you’re getting the idea.”

As the cashier was ringing up everything, Dick ran back to the store and grabbed two packages of Hostess Cupcakes.  Throwing them in the basket, he caught Damian’s raised eyebrow and said, “Trust me.”

A minute later, the cashier held up a copy of Playboy magazine that Damian had in the stack of magazines he had placed on the counter.  Dick glanced over at the boy and growled softly, “Damian…”

Damian looked up innocently and said, “You said anything I wanted.”

Dick laughed and nodded for the cashier to continue before he leaned down and whispered in the boy’s ear, “Alfred is not to know you have that…ever.”

“Pennyworth?  But what about…”

Dick interrupted, “Bruce won’t be a problem.  He might even be proud that you have it.”

Reading the incredulous look on the boy’s face, Dick smiled and said, “Who do you think allowed Jason to keep his?”  Catching a shocked look, Dick said, “What?  You thought he didn’t know?  Bruce helped Jason hide it.  It stayed hidden for two and a half years before Alfred found out.  It was a dark day in Wayne Manor history when Alfred found out that Bruce and Jason had conspired against him.”

Dick looked critically at the boy and asked softly, “This won’t cause anything like, well…like the video store incident last summer, will it?”

Damian thought hard.  He had seen a bit of objectionable material over the year since that incident, and hadn’t had any breakdowns.  In fact, he had forgotten that event even happened.  Damian had figured that talking out his issues with his family, getting them out in the open, had helped him to move on.

Damian shrugged, “Eh, I’m a growing boy.  It’s about time I get past all that, right?  I believe you are aware that I hold at least an interest in the subject covered in a magazine like that.  Besides, if anything happens, I know I have someone with me who knows what’s going on, and understands where I’m coming from.”

Dick smiled, shocked.  Damian looked back at him and said, “What?”

“Nothing,” Dick said, shaking himself, “It just makes me happy that you trust me that much.  However, won’t Robin mind?”

Damian leaned in and said, “I plan on telling her at the same time that we tell Pennyworth.”

“Are you two having problems?”

Damian looked concerned, “No.  Why, did you hear something I didn’t?”

Dick shook his head, “Well, then…why?”

Damian sighed, still a bit concerned, “Is it not normal to want to see women’s bodies at my age?  Didn’t you want to see that when you were my age?”

Dick smirked, “I very much did want to see that, but I didn’t have someone who was as crazy for me as Robin seems to be for you.”

Damian looked angry at what he thought was an implication.  “We agreed to take it slow.  I am not going to ask that of her.  We are not ready; we’re too young for that.  That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to know what I’m in for when we do get there.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it, Damian.  What I’m actually saying is, don’t blow it.  She’s good for you.  Maybe you two are ready to move a bit faster than you think.  Not _that_ fast, but not at a glacial pace, either.”

Damian smirked and said, “Who said our pace was glacial?”

Dick paid for their purchases and handed Damian a bag so they could get back on the road.  Once back in the car, Damian asked, “Are you going to tell me what we’re doing now?”

Dick consulted the in-dash GPS before saying, “This is probably as good a place as any.  Now, please don’t get upset.  This is something I thought the two of us would have fun doing.  I thought we needed a little time together.  You’re growing up so fast, and I haven’t been around much lately, I feel like I’m missing everything.”

Damian smirked and asked, “Isn’t that something Father is supposed to say?”

“Yes, it is.  In fact, it’s something he tells me at least once a week.”

Damian looked saddened by that.  “Why doesn’t he ever tell me that?”

“You should ask him that when we get home.  Maybe it will make him come to the same realization that I did.”

Damian looked sadder still.  “If he feels that way, then why isn’t he here?”

“Someone has to run the company, Damian.”  Dick looked at the saddened look on the boy’s face.  “You miss him, don’t you?  You saw him yesterday, and spoke to him half an hour ago.  What’s going on, Damian?”

Damian looked at his lap and said, “I do miss him.  I don’t like being away from him, now that we are getting along.  Even though we rarely do anything together, I miss him when he’s not around.  It makes what time we get together…more special.  We could both be home and on opposite sides of the house…opposite sides of the grounds, even, but just knowing he is there is…comforting.  You must feel the same way, sometimes.”

Dick nodded and said quietly, “I do, but I didn’t think you noticed.”

They were both silent for a minute before Damian said, “I agree that we need time together, after everything we’ve been through, and I’m not trying to discount that, but he should be here.”

Dick smirked and said, “That would require Bruce to do something he hasn’t done in many years.”

Damian’s head came up, “That’s right, you were going to teach me the mysteries of the business world.”

“Not exactly.  I’m going to teach you the one thing that everyone working in big business needs to remember and follow through with.  Your father doesn’t do this, even though he desperately needs to.”

Damian leaned in a bit and asked, “Well, what is it?”

Dick smiled and said, “I’m going to teach you the importance of taking a vacation.”

Damian looked nonplussed.  “…A vacation?”

Dick shook his head, “Don’t you make it sound like it’s such an easy thing.  It’s been proven that workers in the United States use fewer of their paid days off than any country in the world.  People here literally work themselves to death.  Finding a work-life balance is critical.  You need to be able to relax.  That way, people can unplug, get themselves focused again, and come back to work ready to perform.  You and I are taking a vacation, and we’re going to Disney World.”

Dick was expecting two very different reactions from his brother.  The first one he expected, which he had to admit was the least likely, was excitement.  The second, and more probable, reaction expected was some form of anger.  He expected Damian to blow up at him for taking him to, what Dick thought the boy next to him would view as, a childish, diversionary waste of money.  He wasn’t expecting quiet introspection from his brother.

“Damian?”

Damian was looking out of the front windshield, slowly nodding, with a thoughtful look on his face.  “That explains so much.”

Dick was confused.  “What explains so much?”

Damian turned and looked at Dick with such a serious expression that Dick had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing.  “His movies have always been so strange to me.  It’s always felt so…unnatural.  This could be a huge coup.  You just explained everything.  Walt Disney was an alien.”

Dick couldn’t stop himself from laughing this time.  “Where did you get that from?”

Now it was Damian’s turn to sound confused.  “From you, just now.  You just said that we are going to Disney’s World.  What I don’t understand is why we have to go to Florida to get there.  Surely they have a Zeta beam connection there.”

Dick was still chuckling as he said, “Damian, it’s Disney World, not Disney’s World.  It’s a theme park…but you’ve never been to one of those before, have you?”

Damian shook his head as Dick continued.  “That’s okay.  There is a first time for everything.  Listen, I know this isn’t really your thing, and I know I kind of ambushed you with this, but please, Damian, give it a chance.  You might like it.”

Damian opened his mouth to speak, but Dick cut him off.  “I worked everything out with Bruce.  We both think this will be good for you.  We both also agreed that, if you don’t want to do this, I can put you on a plane home at any time.  Bruce promised he wouldn’t get upset.  I did kidnap you and drive you halfway across the country, after all.  We both understand if…if this is expecting too much.  We’re about an hour away from an airport from this point, so I can have you home before sunset, if that’s what you really want.”

Damian opened his mouth again, but Dick kept talking, nervously trying to postpone the moment when Damian crushed his dreams for the next few days.  “Please, brother.  I really hoped you would like this.  It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and after thinking about it for the past month or so, it’s something I really want to do with you.  I want us to share this.  I think we can have a good time, if you just let yourself.”

The car fell silent.  Damian didn’t open his mouth; he didn’t like being interrupted before he could start to get a thought out.  Dick’s face fell, as he took Damian’s silence as a sign of defeat on his part.  A tear worked its way down his cheek as he started the car and slowly backed out of their spot.

“I see.  It’s okay, really.  I mean, I drugged you and kidnapped you.  Why would you want to be around me after doing something like that?  I should have thought of that; it’s my fault.  I’ll just get you to the airport.”  Dick handed over his phone and said, “There is a flight app on there.  You can book the flight you want, to get you home.”

Damian set the phone in the cup holder and said in a quiet voice, “Dick?”

Dick was so shocked at the use of his first name that he almost hit another car when his foot slipped off the brake.  “Y-yeah?”

Damian waited until Dick stopped the car, waiting to be able to turn out of the gas station.  “I didn’t say no.”

Several emotions worked their way across Dick’s face as Damian fastened his seatbelt.  “You want the left lane.  The sign over there says that the left lane will take you back to the interstate, heading south.”

Dick pulled into the turn lane with an ear to ear grin on his face.  Damian was swallowing a Dramamine as Dick said, “Thanks, little brother.”

Two hours later, Damian sighed and bent forward.  Dick could hear the plastic bag rustling as Damian went pawing through it.

“Hey, while you’re in there, why don’t you break open those cupcakes and hand me one?”

Damian did as he was asked and pulled out the orange, frosted pastries.  He placed one in Dick’s outstretched, impatient hand.  Dick took it with a smile, saying, “Thanks, Little D,” through a massive yawn.

Damian looked a bit concerned as the car drifted almost into the next lane.  Dick was taking him to, what Damian was sure, was about to become Dick’s favorite place in the world.  He was supposed to be excited, not ready to fall asleep.

Dick nodded to the boy.  “Go ahead, have the other one.  You’ll like it.”

“Don’t you want it,” Damian asked.

Dick just smiled, “That’s why I got two packages.  Go on, you must be hungry, too.”

Damian took a small bite and found that it wasn’t as revolting as he thought it would be.  “Come on, D, take a big bite.  You’re missing the best part,” Dick said before shoving his whole cupcake in his mouth.

Damian took another bite, and was surprised by the cream filling.  _He’s right.  That wasn’t too bad.  How is he such a connoisseur of junk food?  Surely Pennyworth never allowed these things in the house when he was growing up._

Damian reached into the bag and pulled out a magazine and started to take the plastic wrapping off of it.  Out of the corner of his eye, Dick saw Damian grin at the cover and said, “Wait.  You aren’t looking at that now, are you?  Why don’t you _not_ look at porn on the highway?”

Damian smirked and said, “You bought me three magazines.  I decided to stick with the three P’s.  Puzzles, pornography, and this one, which covers Playstation games.”

Dick heaved a sigh of relief.  “Got tired of the puzzles, then?”

Damian answered distractedly as he browsed through the articles, “No, I’m done.”

“…With the puzzle you were working on?”

Damian shook his head, “No…Well, yes, but also with the rest.”

Dick’s eyes bugged out of his head, “You finished that whole book in two hours?”

Damian shrugged, “I know, I thought they would be harder, too.”

Dick yawned again as Damian took a drink of water.  “How long have you been awake, Grayson?  What time did you start driving today?”

“Um, we left home at about two this morning.”

Damian shook his head.  “Two?  So, you didn’t sleep last night, then?”

Dick smiled, “Someone had to get you changed, packed, and loaded into the car.  You haven’t even noticed that you’re wearing different clothes than you were yesterday, have you?”  Damian looked down, realizing for the first time that he really was dressed differently as Dick continued.  “You had a hole in your underwear, so Alfred is going to pick you up some new ones.  Don’t look so shocked, it’s not the first time I’ve helped you get dressed.”

Ignoring the comment, Damian said, “Why don’t you pull over and take a nap?  I can drive for a while.”

“Is that concern I hear in your voice, brother?”  Dick grinned as Damian gave a slight blush.  “This isn’t the Batmobile, Damian.  You and I may know that you are capable of driving safely, but the highway patrol may have something to say about it.”

To emphasize his point, a police cruiser passed the sports car, the driver taking a long look at the vehicle’s occupants before moving on.  “See?”

“You should still pull over and rest.  I don’t want to arrive at Disney World dead.”

Another yawn split Dick’s face.  “Maybe you’re right.  There’s a rest area up ahead.  I’ll stop there, but only for an hour.  We’re still a long way off.”

“That’s fine, Grayson.”

Dick reached out and lightly grabbed Damian’s wrist.  “Hey, Damian?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for wanting to arrive at Disney World at all, dead _or_ alive.”

Dick woke up an hour and a half later as he heard Damian gasp and whisper, “Oh wow.”  Not looking at his younger brother, Dick said, “Are you really looking at that now?  What do you even need a Playboy magazine for, anyway?  You said you and Robin are doing alright.”

Startled, Damian turned his head for a second to glance at Dick.  “Oh, you’re awake.  No, I haven’t opened the magazine yet.  And, if you don’t know what a magazine like that is for, then Father left a crucial step out of your upbringing.  It’s probably something your _younger_ brother shouldn’t have to teach you.”

Dick looked over and saw Damian staring at his phone.  “Texting the girlfriend, then?”

Damian’s mind slammed to a halt at the use of the title.  _Is she my girlfriend?  Are we that serious, to have a title?  I mean, yeah, we’ve been talking for a couple months.  She did give me quite a kiss the last time we saw each other.  Maybe?_

“Girlfriend?  I…I hadn’t even thought about a title for us like that.  I…I don’t know?  I mean, yes, we were texting.”

Dick moved his seat back to a seated position and smiled over at the flustered boy.  “Maybe I can help?  I’ve had a few girlfriends in the past, I can at least tell you if she is thinking it.  What had you so impressed a minute ago?”

Damian handed over the phone to Dick and said, “She sent me that.  She’s on the swim team at school, and they got their team pictures back today.”

Dick smiled at the shot of a blonde girl in a school-issue one-piece bathing suit.  “Pretty girl.  Did you ask for the picture, or did she just send it?”

“She told me at the beginning of the season that they were taking team pictures.  I mentioned that I would like to see them, but it was just a joke at the time.  I thought she had forgotten.  It would have been fine if she had.”

“Hmm…” Dick thought.

Damian took the phone back and swiped at the screen a few times before handing it back to Dick.  Dick’s eyes widened as he saw the same girl, lying in a deck chair and wearing a much smaller bikini.  Damian said, “She sent me that the day after we talked about the school pictures.  She said that would have to do until the team pictures came in.”

Dick swallowed as he handed the device back.  “Did you send her anything, besides a heartfelt thank you?  Does her father know you have that?”

Damian pulled up two pictures on the phone and showed them to Dick.  The first one was Damian in a tuxedo.  The second showed Damian with just a towel wrapped around his waist.  “I sent her those.  She texted me one night and said she missed me and wanted to see what I was doing.  I had just gotten out of the shower, so I sent her a picture.  As for her father, I assume if he knew I had her picture or that she had my picture, Father would have received an angry phone call that all of us would have heard about.”

Dick looked at the picture again.  “Did you Photoshop this before sending it to her, or something?”  He reached over and patted Damian’s stomach.  There was no give under his fingers.  Damian pulled up his shirt, smiling at the shocked look on Dick’s face as he revealed a chest and stomach that could have been carved out of marble.

“Oh, Damian.  We need to find you a hobby other than constantly working out.  And I thought I was in shape at your age.  What did she say to the picture?”

Damian smirked and said softly, “That she wanted to see the real thing.”

“And, has she?”  Dick found that he was a bit nervous for the answer.  For all that Damian proclaimed that they were taking it slow, it seemed that they were moving a bit faster than the boy realized.

“No,” Damian replied.  Dick heaved a bit of a sigh of relief.  _Damian is too young for as fast as they are going to want to start moving soon.  It’s amazing just how well those two have clicked._

Damian continued, “But, the last time I saw her, when she kissed me goodbye, she stuck her hand up my shirt and got a pretty good feel of it.”

Dick nodded.  “No wonder Mr. Abbey was trying to rush her out of the house.  Okay, so you two almost constantly hold hands when you are together, first kiss wasn’t a problem, nor apparently subsequent kisses, you’re sending each other racy pictures and texting on a daily, if not hourly basis.  Damian, I want you to answer this question honestly.  Don’t think about it, just say the first thing that pops into your head, okay?”

“Okay.”

Dick looked the boy in the eye.  “Do you love her?”

“Yes,” Damian said without any hesitation.  His eyes widened, as if the answer surprised him.

Dick smiled broadly and said, “Congratulations, Damian.  You have your first girlfriend.”

Damian couldn’t help but smile.

The phone beeped, and Dick handed it back to Damian.  A new message from Robin asked ‘Well, what do you think?’  Damian thought for a second, then typed back ‘Sorry, my brain stopped for a second.  It does that when I see something so beautiful.  Love you.’

Dick read over Damian’s shoulder and smiled.  “Oh, you are smooth.  You are definitely Bruce’s son.  You need to be careful, though.  That’s the kind of talk that will make her want to do things that you may not be ready for.”

Damian looked up.  “I’m _not_ ready for that, and Robin’s not like that.  She’s not like Father’s harlots, who just throw themselves at him because he’s rich.  She’s not the type to throw herself at the first person who throws a poem at her.”

Dick was almost laughing.  “Did you write her a poem?  I thought you said creative writing wasn’t your thing.”

Damian looked down, his cheeks slightly darkening as he mumbled, “It’s not.  I copied some song lyrics and combined them with a poem from Browning.  I thought it was terrible, but she said she liked it; not because it was good, because it wasn’t, but because I tried.”

Dick shook his head and squeezed Damian’s shoulder.  “Oh, brother, you are falling hard for her.  What are you planning for her birthday?  Have you thought that far ahead yet?”

Damian shook his head, “No, her birthday was a couple weeks ago.  Pennyworth helped me send her some flowers.”

“What kind of flowers,” Dick asked with a suspicious grin on his face.

“Pennyworth suggested something called a spring bouquet.  I know nothing about flowers, so I went with his suggestion, with the caveat that there were a few roses in it.  Robin likes roses.”

“Damian,” Dick said with a true smile, “I never thought you would be a romantic.”

Damian blushed even more, “Well, no one ever thought to put an angel in my path before now.  I never thought I would ever feel this way about anyone, either.”

Dick sighed contentedly as he started the car and said, “Well?  Are you ready to get going?”

Damian looked back and asked, “Are you?  We stopped so you could take a nap, remember?”

Dick just laughed.

As they were pulling onto the highway again, Dick asked, “What did she say about your scars?”

“Um…”

“They weren’t really visible in that one picture, with that lighting.  She hasn’t seen them?” Dick guessed.

“…No.”

“And, you haven’t told her?”

“…No,” Damian’s voice got quieter as they got closer to the secret he was keeping from her.

“She didn’t feel any when she was feeling you up?”

Damian sighed, “If she did, she didn’t say anything.  They probably wouldn’t feel any different if she didn’t know they were there.”

“I assume you have a plan of what to tell her when she does find out?”

“Tt.  Of course, Grayson.  She already knows about my knee surgery from the dirt bike crash cover story.  That will have to be good enough to explain some other scars as well.”

Dick hesitated before asking quietly, “What about your back?”

Damian sighed again.  “It’s pretty obvious that those didn’t come from a motorcycle accident, isn’t it?”  Damian thought about the lines of raised scar tissue that crossed his back, a remnant of training with the League of Assassins.  “I guess I can always tell her the truth.”

The car swerved sharply as Dick turned to look at Damian.  “Are you crazy?  You would trust all of our lives to a girl you love, but honestly don’t know all that well?  Think about what you’re saying, Damian.”

“I said I could tell her the truth.  I didn’t say I would tell her the whole truth.”

“Oh, then what would you say?”

Damian thought for a second before replying softly, “That mother used to beat me, and that’s why I live with Father now.”

Dick winced uncomfortably at how easily Damian could say that sentence.  Then he thought about it some more and said, “That could work.  It’s not even that far from the truth.  It also makes you into a sympathetic figure, ripe for more physical affection, while keeping Robin from asking too many questions for fear of hurting you.  But, Damian, how far from the truth is it?”

Damian looked straight ahead and spoke quietly as he said, “It _is_ the truth.”

Dick paled as he said, “Talia used to…”

“When I wasn’t performing up to her standards, or not moving fast enough, or generally disappointing her in one way or another.  When she was in a bad mood, or upset, or felt I wasn’t…I wasn’t good enough.  She preferred to use a whip, but a stick or cane, or on occasion a sword, were not uncommon, either.  Mother caused those scars on my back.”

Dick processed that for several minutes before asking just as quietly, “Does Bruce know?”

“No,” Damian’s voice was little more than a whisper now, “And he has no need to know.  That knowledge will do nothing but hurt him, and anger him, and cause him to have more contentious contact with Mother.  I don’t want that.”

“Damian, remind me to give you a big hug the next time we stop.”

Damian snorted, “I figure you will whether I remind you or not.”

Dick asked slyly, “I bet I’m not the one you want a hug from right now, though, am I?”

“No,” Damian admitted, adopting a far-off look.  “But, you _are_ really good at it.  I should probably be taking lessons from you.”

Dick’s mood brightened, “You want me to give you hugging lessons?”

“It does seem to be your superpower.”

“In that case, I’ll be glad to teach you everything I know.”

Damian looked out his side window as he said, “Thank you, Grayson.  For that and, you know, this.”

A thought occurred to Dick, so he asked, “Damian, you didn’t agree to this trip just to make me happy, did you?”

“I agreed to this trip because you put a lot of hard work into something you thought would make me happy.  I agreed because we really don’t get a lot of time together anymore, and I miss that.  I agreed because you’re my brother, and you love me, and I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Dick cocked his head, “You agreed because I love you?”

Damian couldn’t look at Dick as he said, “Yes, you love me, almost as much as I love you.”  _Boy, I’m glad Drake or Todd weren’t here to hear that.  Why do I feel comfortable saying things like that around Grayson?_

“That’s it.  You’re getting two hugs the next time we stop.”

Damian smiled over at his brother softly, “If you insist, Grayson.”

The car was silent for several minutes, until Dick looked over and saw Damian typing out another text.

“Did she send you another picture?”

“Huh?” Damian looked over at Dick.  “Oh, no.  I’m texting Father.  I wanted to thank him for making this trip possible, and allowing you to take me.  I never use this word, but this is going to be fun.”

“I’m glad you think so, Little D.”

Several hours, and a stop for gas and hugs later, the brothers arrived at their hotel.  Damian craned his neck to look up at the modern structure.

“Is that Disney World,” he asked, with just a hint of awe in his voice.

“That’s the hotel,” Dick said, with a grin.

“Looks like a train station.”

Dick looked at the building and had to agree.  “I guess so.  Yeah, it kinda does, with the tracks coming out of it.  Hey, I bet you don’t know what kind of train runs on those tracks.”

“Monorail,” Damian said without looking at the man.

Dick’s head snapped over to stare at his little brother.  “What?  How did you know that?”

“They have them in Europe.  I’ve seen them on…missions.  Never got to use one, though.”

Dick patted Damian’s knee and said, “You will.  It’s fun, so we have to do it.”

A smiling valet opened the door for Damian, startling the boy.  Damian leaned over to Dick and whispered, “What is he doing?”

Dick pressed the button to pop the trunk and whispered back, “His job.  Don’t worry, he’s not trying to do anything bad.”

“Why is he smiling like that?”

Dick gave a little sigh, “Damian, you are going to have to get used to it.  There are going to be a lot of smiling people around you for the next few days.  This isn’t Gotham, people smile here, and it doesn’t mean they are trying to take advantage of you, or anything.  Just think of them as a bunch of Alfred’s in training, and let them take care of us.”

Damian watched as a porter loaded their bags onto a cart.  “We don’t really need Pennyworth to take care of us.  We should be able to survive without him, at least for a couple days.  Pennyworth seems to ask me to help him quite a bit lately.  I think he’s trying to teach me how to do things for myself.”

“Could be, but he is capable of doing everything he asks of you on his own.  And, you’re right, we don’t need a butler, but he does far more for us than we see in a day.  He also asks for your help to give you something to do during the day.”

Damian had never thought of that possibility.  “Oh.  Does…does that mean he’s trying to keep track of me, to keep me out of trouble, or something?”

The brothers followed the porter towards the front desk to check into their room.  “Possibly,” Dick said, “Why do you ask?”

“Well, every time he gives me a job to do, it is always something either helping in his task, or something that is done within his sight.”

“There’s another option you aren’t considering.”

“What’s that,” Damian asked, genuine interest in his voice.

Dick smiled and said, “He likes you, and wants to be around you.  He would never presume to say it, and it would never occur to you on your own, but Alfred is getting older, and you may be the closest thing he ever gets to a grandchild.”

“What about his daughter?  I know he has one.”  In a fit of niceness, Talia had allowed Damian to read a file on his father before he met the man, two and a half years ago.  In it had been everything she could collect about Bruce, including a history of Alfred.

Dick grimaced, “Had one.  She was killed in a traffic accident five years ago.  She never had kids.”

Damian looked up, shocked.  That piece of information hadn’t been in the file he originally saw, and he felt terrible for bringing it up.  “I…I didn’t know.”

“He doesn’t talk about it.  They weren’t close, but they had spoken a few times in her last years.” Dick stopped and grabbed Damian’s shoulder.  The sunburn had faded enough that the boy didn’t wince at the grip.  “Do me a favor, Damian.  Don’t ask him about it.”

Damian shook his head, “Of course not.”  _I would never dream of asking Pennyworth about his dead daughter.  I don’t want to hurt him.  I can spend some more time with him, if it will make him happy, though._

After they were shown to their room, Damian opened his suitcase for the first time.  There was more to unpack than he thought there would be.  “There are a lot of clothes in here, Grayson.  How long are we staying?”

“We’re driving home on Sunday morning,” Dick said, emptying his own suitcase.

“Sunday?  But this is Wednesday.”

“Yeah, and?”

Damian spoke in a small voice, “You really want to spend four days in a hotel in Florida, with me?”

Dick smiled, “We won’t be in the hotel all of the time.  We probably won’t be in the room at all, except to sleep.  I hear there’s a lot to do here.”

Damian mumbled, “I wasn’t asking about the room.  I was asking about the ‘with me’ part.”

Dick took Damian’s empty suitcase to the closet as he said, “The whole point of the trip is to be together.  Of course I want to spend four days with you.  I’ve been told that we can extend it out a few more days, if we’re having a good time.  Maybe we won’t go home until next Tuesday.”

Damian didn’t answer, but went to the window and looked out.  He wasn’t quite sure how this week would go, but he wanted this.  He never realized that he would want anything like this, but now, he did. 

The sun had definitely moved off to the west as an idea occurred to Damian.  “It’s, um, getting a bit late, Grayson.  It’s nice to be out of that car.  I know you like it, but it’s a bit small for a cross-country drive.”

“Are you hungry, Damian?”

“A little.  Aren’t you tired after driving all day,” the boy asked.

“I am,” Dick said as he yawned and stretched, “but if you’re ready for dinner, then we should do that.”

“I can wait, Grayson,” Damian said quietly.  “You’re tired.  You need a nap.”

Dick remembered back to his own first trip to a Disney park, and wondered if Damian had something else in mind.  Another yawn split his face as he said, “I could use a nap, I guess.”

Damian gave one curt nod and said, “Good, then lay down and shut up.”

Dick smiled as he kicked off his shoes and flopped down on the mattress.  “You aren’t just trying to get me in bed, are you, Damian?”

Damian rolled his eyes, annoyed at being found out, as Dick rolled into a comfortable position.  “Much like the hug earlier, there is someone else I would rather crawl into bed with.”

Smirking, Dick shut his eyes, until the bed started to shake and dip, and a warm weight snuggled into his side.  Damian whispered as Dick pulled him in tight.  “Also, like the hug earlier, you are really good at this, too.”

Dick smiled, ruffled the boy’s hair with his free hand, and quickly fell asleep.

Dick awoke a while later, feeling more rested and comfortable than he had in months.  To his surprise, the warm weight he had fallen asleep with was still snuggled in under his arm.  If anything, Damian was holding on to him even tighter now than he had been when Dick first laid down.

A murky, gray light was filtering in through the still-open curtains.  Dick tried to roll over, but Damian grumbled in his sleep and threw an arm over Dick’s stomach, gripping the older man’s shirt tightly.  Dick smiled as he slowly ran his fingers through Damian’s hair.

After several minutes, Dick checked his watch, wondering how long he had slept.  He stared strangely at the dial as it read 6:15.  _Huh, my watch battery must have died.  I know we checked into the room at 6:45.  Wait, the hands are still moving.  What’s going on?_

Confused, Dick pulled his phone out of his pocket.  Six-sixteen flashed on the screen.  Dick looked again, and was startled to see the screen say AM instead of PM.

_Oh.  We must have been more tired than we thought.  So, that’s the rising sun, not the setting sun.  I’m comfortable, and Damian might not want to do this again, even though he’s the one who wanted to cuddle in the first place.  Even so, we should probably get up and get going, I have places to take him today._

Dick looked down at the peaceful, sleeping face that was trying to burrow into his side.  Reluctantly, he grabbed Damian's shoulder and gently shook the sleeping boy.  Damian gave a start and pulled even tighter at Dick’s shirt.  His eyes snapped wide open, and he appeared confused for a second.  He glanced up and met Dick’s eyes for a moment before snuggling back into the man and mumbling, “Is it dinner time yet?”

“No,” Dick said with a smile.

“Then why did you wake me up?”

Dick tried not to laugh as he said, “Because it’s breakfast time.”

“Oh.  Well, can’t you just order room service?  I’m comfortable, I don’t want to get up.”

Dick smiled to himself and thought, _Wait for it…_

Several seconds later, Damian’s eyes snapped open again and he said, “Wait, what?  Breakfast?  What time is it?”

Dick checked his watch again.  “Six twenty-two.”

“Then why are we having breakfast,” Damian asked, confused.

“Six twenty-two AM.”

Damian sat up slowly, “They _have_ a six twenty-two AM?  Why?”

“That’s just how time works.  I didn’t invent it.  Come on, get up.  Go get yourself cleaned up, I’ll order breakfast.  What do you want?”

“Um,” Damian thought for a second while he stretched.  His stomach started rumbling loudly as he said, “I don’t care.  I’ll eat whatever.”

Damian walked to the bathroom as Dick said, “One whatever, coming up.”

Several minutes later, Damian walked up to stand next to Dick, who was staring out of the window.  Not looking, Dick snaked an arm around the boy and hugged him into his side.  A minute later, Dick started patting the boy’s arm.  He patted down, until he reached the elbow.  He then patted up, until his hand rested on the boy’s shoulder.  All he felt was arm.

“What?” Damian asked as Dick looked down to see Damian standing at his side with damp hair and a towel held wrapped around his waist.

“Trying a new fashion trend?”

“I forgot to grab clothes before I got into the shower.  Then, I just wanted to see what you were staring at.”

Dick smiled, “Just watching the day begin.  You should get dressed before the food gets here.  It wouldn’t look too good to open the door with you just about naked out here.”

Damian cocked his head and said, “We’re not doing anything wrong.  You…you wouldn’t do anything like that to me.”

It was said with such sincerity and openness that Dick did a double take.  “No, I wouldn’t, and I’m glad you realize that.  You know that, and I know that…” A knock at the door interrupted him, “…But the room service guy doesn’t know that.  Go hide in the bathroom until he’s gone.”

A short time later, Dick closed the front door and knocked on the bathroom door as he wheeled the trolley of food into the room.  Dick set the food on the dining table in the corner, taking an extra minute to make sure everything looked good before turning around.  He was glad he did, because when he turned around, Damian was still pulling up and buttoning a pair of shorts.

He caught Dick staring at him and asked again, “What?”

“You could have used the bathroom for that.”

Damian looked at him strangely and said, “You’re okay with undressing and dressing me when I’m unconscious, but not with seeing me dress myself when I’m awake?  Are we, or are we not, brothers?”

Dick nodded slightly as he said, “I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable, or feel like I’m expecting anything from you.”

Damian walked up to the table and said, “Which one’s mine?”

“They’re both the same.”

Damian took a seat, and as Dick sat in the other chair, Damian said, “I wouldn’t have done it if I was uncomfortable.”  Damian took a bite of his breakfast before saying, “No offense, but you do have expectations from me.”

Dick stopped, with his fork almost to his mouth.  “How so?  I don’t have any expectations here.”

“You do.  You expect me to try to enjoy myself.  You expect me to like this place as much as you’re going to.  You expect this to be a recreation of the trip you took with Father when you were a boy.  Well, I’m sorry, Grayson.  I’m not built like you.  I’m not…wired the same way.  I don’t know how to do these things that come so easy for you.”

They fell into an uncomfortable silence as they worked on their breakfasts.  Finally, unable to take the silence, Dick sighed and asked, “Do you want me to take you home?  You can be at the Orlando Airport in an hour, and home by early afternoon.”

Not looking up from the remains of his waffle, Damian said softly, “No.  I want to be rewired.  I see the way people treat you.  I want to know what that’s like.  I don’t want people to have to make a special effort to tolerate being around me.  I don’t expect to be super popular, or the person who makes the party happen, but it would be nice if people didn’t grimace when I walked into the room.  Maybe…maybe this trip is a first step in that direction.”

Dick hid his smile behind a piece of bacon and said, “No.  Believe it or not, you are far past the first step.  You just can’t see it, but it’s happening.”

One of their phones vibrated on the nightstand.  Dick smirked as Damian’s head whipped in the direction of the noise, and a smile worked its way unconsciously onto his face.

“Would the Damian of three years ago have had a girlfriend?”

Damian shook his head as he got up to check the message, frowning when he saw that it had been Dick’s phone that had vibrated.  He took both devices off their chargers and returned to the table.

Dick took his phone and set it down while saying, “You went out, all on your own, and charmed a complete stranger, to the point where she followed you to your bedroom within an hour of meeting you.  That alone should prove to you that you are not the same person you were when we first met.  Stop thinking of yourself as such.  Recognize that you have changed, and that you can change, and you will realize that you are a lot farther along than you thought.  And start thinking of a gift for Robin.  If you spend a week at Disney World and don’t bring your girlfriend something she won’t be your girlfriend for much longer.”

Following breakfast, while Dick was showering and getting dressed, Damian looked over the itinerary for their stay.

“Grayson, I have a question.”

“See something wrong on our schedule?”

Damian nodded, “Yes.  Tomorrow you have us scheduled at something called Typhoon Lagoon?”

Dick smiled, “Yeah, it’s a waterpark.  Don’t worry, I packed your swimsuit.”

“I know.  I saw it when I unpacked yesterday.  It’s just…”

Dick interrupted, “I know you like to swim.  Trust me, no one is going to care about your scars.  I have more than enough of my own to make yours look normal, and yours have gotten better.”

Damian sighed and said, “Looking over this schedule, I can see that you were trying to find things I would like, and I’m flattered…”

Dick interrupted again, “Of course I was thinking of you.  This whole trip is for you.”

“For us,” Damian insisted.  “I noticed on the map something called the Animal Kingdom, but it isn’t on our schedule.”

Dick looked down.  “…I thought you would be bored.”

“But _you_ won’t be bored.  This is our trip, not my trip.”

“You really want to do the Animal Kingdom?”  Dick looked up with hope in his eyes.

Damian nodded, “I propose we do that tomorrow, and if we get bored, then we can do this Typhoon Lagoon.  I’m sure by the afternoon it will he hot and humid enough that we will want to go swimming to cool off.”

Dick smiled.  “No rule saying we can only do one park a day.  I’m pretty sure they won’t let me ride the elephants, so there is only so long I will want to stare at them without being able to touch them.  Sounds like a plan, Little D.  What do you say we get a start on today’s plan?”

Damian looked back at the schedule.  “The Magic Kingdom?  You know Father’s stance on magic.”

“There is more to magic than pulling rabbits out of hats.  There are all kinds of magic, Damian.  Let me introduce you to one of my favorite kinds today.”

The brothers made their way down to the lobby and onto the monorail.  Dick made sure to push their way into the front car, and they were whisked to the front gate.  Damian tried to play off the trip as no big deal, but Dick saw the smile on the boy’s face when the train moved out of the hotel and into daylight.  As they stood waiting for the gates to open, Damian looked back at the elevated track.

“I thought the ride would be smoother.  It jerked around quite a bit.”

Dick smiled and said, “It’s a monorail, not a mag lev.  I thought you said you’ve been on one before?”

Damian shook his head slightly, “No, I said I’ve seen them before.”

Dick caught the look on Damian’s face and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“The way you described this place, I thought the front gate would be like entering Oz, not like just a…normal gate.  The fence around home is more imposing than that.”

Dick’s smile blossomed again as he asked, “Did you, Damian Wayne, just make a reference to what is normally considered to be a kid’s movie?”

“It seemed appropriate,” Damian mumbled, his cheeks darkening slightly.

A steam whistle caught both of their attention as they were allowed through the front gates.  Dick caught a hint of eagerness in Damian’s eyes, no matter how hard the boy tried to hide it.

Dick said, “Come on, let’s ride the train.  If it’s like the one at Disneyland, it goes all around the park, and we can see everything that’s here.”

Damian tried to hide his excitement, but Dick knew him better than that by this point in their relationship.  “If you want to, Grayson, I guess we can.”

Dick watched from the corner of his eye as Damian took in his surroundings with a soft smile.  Caught, he crossed his arms and put a sneer on his face.

Dick leaned closer and whispered, “It’s okay to like things, Damian.  It’s okay to be excited.  I would hope that you would know by now that we aren’t going to judge you for liking things.  We all have little things we like that may seem incongruous with our outer character.  Bruce loves cheesy detective novels, and ducks.  I’m a grown man would gladly spend every day of the rest of my life at a circus.  Jason would sit and watch every Bugs Bunny cartoon in existence if you let him.  Tim hides an old Gameboy in his room, and every now and then he tries to catch the last few Pokémon he’s missing.  Even Alfred will sit with a supermarket tabloid every now and then.  You didn’t hear that from me, by the way.”

The sneer lessened to the point where Dick thought the ends of Damian’s lips might have turned up.  “You love to draw.  You’ve let us see that little part of your personality, but I can tell there is more in there.  There is no shame in indulging yourself.  You were smiling, until you noticed me seeing you smile.  You are safe with us.  You deserve to be happy.  So, tell me, what were you smiling about?”

Damian stared at his lap for several seconds before saying softly, “I like trains.”

The whistle sounded again as the train pulled out of the station.  Dick smiled and said, “Then stop scowling and enjoy it.  We can take this around as many times as you want.”

As they took the Grand Circle Tour around the Magic Kingdom, Dick could tell that they would only make it one time around the perimeter before they went to see some of the sights that had caused the boy to gasp.

Sure enough, the train hadn’t stopped moving before Damian popped up and was pushing Dick towards the exit.  Walking down Main Street, Dick asked, “What do you want to do first?”

“You’re the one who’s been to Disneyland before.  Um…what do you think we should do?”

“This isn’t Disneyland,” Dick replied, “I’ve never been here before.  Let’s just try working our way…Damian?”

Dick looked around once he noticed he was talking to himself.  He turned around several times, until he spotted the boy, with his face nearly pressed against a shop window.  Wondering what could have so entranced his brother, Dick ambled up to Damian’s side.

“What’s up, Little D?”

“That,” Damian said, pointing at the window.

Dick looked and saw that Damian was pointing at a necklace with entwined Mickey and Minnie silhouettes.

“It’s nice, Damian, but…”

Damian interrupted, “You told me to look for a gift for Robin.  That’s it.”

Seeing the serious look in the boy’s eye, Dick said, “Let’s go in and look at it.”

“Yes,” Damian nodded.  “It’s perfect for her, but let’s look at it anyway.”

Once they got a closer look, Dick had to admit that it was beautiful.  The chain and pendant were both sterling silver, and there were small diamonds embedded in the entwined mouse heads.  Damian requested one that wasn’t used as a display, and while the clerk went to the back of the store to find one, Dick leaned over to talk to Damian.

“Yesterday, you weren’t even sure if she was your girlfriend, and today you’re buying her jewelry?”

“Yes.  Now that I’m feeling a little more confident about our relationship, I don’t see a reason why not.  You should be pleased, your counseling skills have led us here.”

The clerk soon returned with the requested jewelry.  Damian arranged to have it shipped overnight to Robin, and pulled out several hundred dollars in cash from his wallet to pay for the gift.

Dick’s jaw dropped as he saw the stack of cash in his little brother’s hands.  They left the shop and Dick asked softly, “Do you always carry around, what was that, five, six hundred dollars?”

“No.  This is closer to four thousand.”

“Why,” Dick asked, his jaw dropping again.

“Father says it’s good practice to carry cash.  You never know when you will need it, he says.  He doesn’t let me have a credit card.  My allowance is fairly generous, and I rarely go anywhere where I have to pay, so it just…builds up.”

“You need to be careful, carrying that much cash around.”

Damian snorted, “I’d like to meet the person who could successfully rob me.”

Dick thought about the boy at his side and shuddered as he said, “Well, I wouldn’t.  The person who could do that would give us all a run for our money.  No more of this, let’s ride something.”

Damian followed Dick up Main Street until they were standing in a central hub.  Looking around, Damian whispered a ‘wow’ before Dick placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “Which way, young Master Wayne?”

Damian sighed and said, “Didn’t I warn you about doing your horrible Pennyworth impersonation last summer?”

Dick snorted and asked, “Yeah, why?”

“Because you haven’t gotten any better at it.  Let’s go that way.”

To Dick’s surprise, Damian pointed straight ahead, at the castle leading to Fantasyland.  Dick shrugged and followed the boy through the castle.

“This way, Grayson.”

Dick was looking around at the sights as Damian’s voice broke into his thoughts.  Damian was halfway across the open space, heading off to the right of the castle.  Hustling to catch up, Dick couldn’t believe that Damian was arrowing straight for the one ride he had hoped the boy would consent to ride.  Dick figured he would have to lay on a heavy pout to even get Damian into Fantasyland.

The twin turntables of Dumbo the Flying Elephant spun placidly in the morning sun.  They joined the line for the left-hand ride and Dick asked, “How did you know this was even here?”

“I studied the map of this place while on the Monorail.  If…if they aren’t going to…let you ride the elephants tomorrow, then you should ride one today.  This is probably the best I can do for that.  Sorry.”

Dick pushed Damian into the fiberglass elephant before getting in himself.  As he tightened the belt over both of their laps, he said, “Don’t be sorry, little brother.  This is the best option available to us right now.  I’m just glad you are willing to do this.”

The ride lifted and spun, the centrifugal force pushed Damian lightly into Dick’s shoulder.  Dick, of course, allowed it, curious about what Damian would do.  The boy did nothing but sit there until the ride was over, like he didn’t even notice he was leaning on his brother.

“Well?” Dick asked as they walked off the ride.

“Well, what?”

“You’re okay with that?  Not too…pedestrian, or childish?”

Damian shrugged, “I guess not.”

Dick turned to leave the ride behind, but stopped when Damian got in line for the right hand turntable.

“Damian?”

Damian looked up sheepishly as Dick came close.  “Um, don’t you want to see if this one is any different?”

_He did like it,_ Dick thought as he joined Damian in the line.

Dick knew this would be a good day, because the next time Damian was pushed against his side by the spinning of the elephants, Dick threw an arm around the boy’s shoulders.  Not only did Damian not grumble and try to get out from under Dick’s arm, Dick could swear Damian snuggled in before laying his head on Dick’s shoulder.

There was a definite sigh when the ride ended and they got up.  _I wonder just how far this good mood will go,_ Dick thought with a smirk.

“Come on, if you like that one, you should really like this one.”

If Damian’s facial expression when getting off of Dumbo was one of contentment, his expression when they got off of It’s A Small World was one of confusion.  Damian looked subdued, deep in thought, and kept glancing furtively up at Dick as they wandered away from the exit.

Dick pulled him to the side and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Did I do something to upset you?  Did I piss you off in some way?”

Dick looked shocked, “No, why?”

Damian looked up at Dick, his bottom lip almost quivering, “Then, you really thought I would like that?  Why?”

“Damian…”

The boy looked away and said, “I thought you knew me better than that?  That was painful, and insipid, and…Gaah!  That stupid song is stuck in my head!  What did you do to me, Grayson?”

Dick was chuckling as he said, “Conducting an experiment.  They have one of these in California, too.  Your reaction is almost exactly the same as mine and Bruce’s was.  Don’t worry, we won’t do that again.  Let’s go find something more your speed.”

Dick turned around and nearly ran into a truly colossal man wearing camouflage fatigues.  “Oh.  Excuse me.”

Dick moved to walk around the man, who stepped into Dick’s way.  Dick looked up into the man’s face as the soldier smiled and said, “Excuse me, but did he just call you ‘Grayson’?  I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it’s kind of a distinctive name.”

Dick’s eyes slowly widened as he took in the man.  “Mark?  No way, it can’t be you!”

Mark’s smile grew as the two old friends embraced tightly.  Once they separated, Dick tried to speak through a sloppy grin.  “Well, I guess we can tell what you’ve been up to by the uniform, but what have you been up to?  I haven’t seen you since your high school graduation.”

Mark gestured to a nearby bench under a shade tree as he said, “Well, West Point.  Second in my class.  A couple tours, a couple promotions, a couple transfers.  I’m on leave, in between assignments.  When I go back, I’ll be getting another promotion and an assignment to a training post.”

Dick watched Mark’s gait as they approached the bench and sat down.  “You okay?  You’re limping a bit.”

Mark sighed as they faced each other on the bench.  “I left a leg in the desert.  They fixed me up, though.  I can still serve.  I can’t play center at the Point anymore, but I can still take the family to Disney World.”

Dick winced, “I’m sorry.  Iraq?”

“Afghanistan.  Been to both, though.  I don’t look at it the way you’re thinking, though.  They didn’t get my leg, they missed the rest of me.”

Dick smirked, “So, what is this, then?  Make-A-Wish Foundation trip?”

Mark nudged Dick’s shoulder as they fell back into their old banter.  “I told you, I’m in between assignments.  I had to make sure we did something special for my little girl’s birthday.”

Mark held out a hand, and a young girl scampered up and jumped into the man’s lap.  He pressed a kiss to the girl’s hair before saying, “This is Laurie, my youngest.  Today is her sixth birthday.  Laurie, say hello to Dick, Daddy’s old friend from school.”

The little girl looked up sheepishly and waved as she mumbled a greeting.  Dick smiled brightly at the girl before asking, “This may be a stupid question, but are you married?”

“Yes,” Mark smiled, “Jamie is over in Tomorrowland with Mark, Jr.”  Mark nodded towards Damian and said, “Excuse me for saying so, but he looks a little old to be your son.  I would have thought the tabloids would have had a field day with that one.”

Dick reached behind him, snagged Damian’s wrist, and dragged him forward.  “Nonsense.  I got an early start, and he’s big for his age.”

Dick laughed as he tried to drag Damian into his lap.  Damian twisted his arm, breaking the hold Dick had on his wrist as he said, “I’m not sitting in your lap, Grayson.”

Dick pouted a bit as he said, “Party pooper.  Mark, this is Damian, my youngest brother.  Damian, this is Mark Pierce, Army Captain and…”

Damian interrupted, “…And you friend from school.  So, you do exist.”

“What’s that supposed to mean,” Mark asked, laughing.

Damian shrugged, “You can never tell with Grayson’s stories.”

Mark laughed again as he said, “Nice to meet you, Damian.”

Dick had an introspective look on his face.  “You said your wife’s name is Jamie?  That wouldn’t be the same Jamie you were dating in high school, would it?”

Mark smirked, “What can I say, I found a good one.”

Laurie looked up and whispered in Mark’s ear, which caused the man to smile.  “Okay, honey.  Dick, it was great to see you again, but we should let you get back to your day.”

Dick pulled a business card out of his wallet as the men stood and hugged again.  “Call me sometime.  We can reconnect when we have more time.  My cell is on there.”

Mark read the card and gave a low whistle, “Wow, head of contracting for Wayne Enterprises.  You’ve been busy in the last seventeen years.”

Dick snorted, “You have no idea.  Call me, we’ll get together the next time you’re in Gotham.”

Mark smirked, “That may be sooner than you think.  We still live in Gotham Heights.”

The old friends embraced again, and Mark held his daughter’s hand as he started to walk away.  He stopped again when Damian called out to him.

Walking over as Mark turned, Damian held out a hand.  “Captain Pierce, I…wanted to say thank you.”

Mark shook the offered hand, confused, “For what?”

“Thank you for serving, and for your sacrifice, but also, thank you for taking the time to be friends with Grayson.  He’s told me many times how being friends with you helped him to adjust to life at home.  You made a big impact on his life.  He wouldn’t be the same person he is now if he didn’t know you.”

Mark’s jaw dropped as he looked over Damian’s head at his old friend.  Dick wore a quizzical look at Mark’s expression.  He hadn’t heard what Damian said, nor did he know that Damian was going to say anything.  Mark looked back at Damian and said, “Thank you, Damian.  It sounds like he’s just as special to you as you say I was to him.  If that’s the case, then don’t go seventeen years without letting him know, okay?”

“Yes, sir,” Damian said with a smirk.

Dick walked up behind Damian and threw an arm around the boy.  “Everything okay here?”

Mark winked, “Yep.  I’ll talk to you later, Grayson.  Take care of each other.”

Damian nodded.  “Someone has to take care of him.”  Father and daughter turned to walk away, but not before Damian leaned down and said, “Happy birthday, Laurie.”  The girl blushed and waved as the Pierce’s walked away.

“What was that all about, Little D?”

Damian looked up innocently.  “It’s her birthday.  I may not have a lot of experience with birthday celebrations, but that is the traditional thing to say, is it not?”

Dick ruffled Damian’s hair and said, “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.  I’ll find out, eventually, you know.”

They began walking in the other direction from the Pierce’s, heading out of Fantasyland.  Damian looked up with what Dick could swear was a gleam in his eye and said, “I know.  I’ll probably end up telling you later.  Now, let’s see what else this park has to do.”

The brothers wandered out of Fantasyland and into Liberty Square.  Damian looked off and saw an old house and tapped Dick on the shoulder.

“What is that?  Is that where Walt Disney lived?”

Seeing a sign, Dick replied, “I thought you said you studied the map before we got here?”

“A bit,” Damian said with a shrug.

“I believe that is the Haunted Mansion.  I remember that scared the crap out of me when I was eleven.”

Damian smirked up at Dick and said, “Well, if you don’t want to go on it…”

Dick rolled his eyes and said, “Let’s go, young’un.”

As they entered the lobby of the building, a shiver ran down Damian’s back.  Dick noticed the slight shake in his younger brother and smiled.  “Not so brave now, are you?”

Damian huffed, “I walked under the air conditioning vent.  It was cold.  It takes more than some cheap Halloween decorations to scare me.  You should know that by now.”

They got on the ride, and Dick noticed that Damian inched closer to him as their Doom Buggy worked its way through the attraction.  When they hit the graveyard, Damian was again under Dick’s arm, where he stayed until they were asked to get off the ride.

Damian was quiet as they left the ride behind, and Dick asked him about it.  “Well?  Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Grayson,” Damian replied with a quiet, yet annoyed tone.

“Is that why you were almost sitting in my lap for most of the ride?”

Damian sighed, “I wasn’t scared of the ride.  I…I was scared of what it made me think about.”

“Which was?”

“Grandfather.”

Dick hissed, “Oh.  Sorry.”

Damian nodded, “With as many times as he’s risen from the dead, those puppets popping out of the graves just…”

“I get it, Damian.  They reminded you of him.”

“…Yeah.”

Trying to take the boy’s mind off of death, and un-death, Dick said, “There is something I read about that is just up here.  Let’s go check it out.  Here it is, the Hall of Presidents.”

Unable, and unwilling, to find an argument against it, Damian followed Dick into the auditorium.  There they sat and watched the presentation.

Damian leaned over to Dick and whispered, about halfway through the show, “Those actors do pretty good impersonations of the Presidents, but their movements are a bit wooden.”

Dick gave a full smile and whispered back, “Damian, those are audio-animatronics.”  Damian looked confused at the word, so Dick continued, “They’re not actors, they’re…for lack of a better word, robots.”

Damian turned back to the show, a look of wonder on his face.  “That’s…pretty impressive, then.”

“What’s that?  Damian Wayne, having fun?”

“I said it’s an impressive piece of technology from a long time ago.  I can admire it without enjoying it.”

Dick nudged Damian with an elbow as they walked out of the theater, “…But?”

Damian sighed, “What are you aiming at, Grayson?”

“I’m aiming at convincing you that it is okay to open up with people you trust.  Let them get to know you.  Let them get close to you.  There is more to life than sitting in your room and drawing, or pretending not to read the books I leave for you.  We’re not giving up on you, so why not go with it?”

“Fine, it was _mildly_ entertaining.  At least it was better than the creepy fake children singing that mind numbing song.”

Dick laughed again and said, “Well, I can’t argue with you there.  Hey, want to stop and get a snack?”

Damian thought for a second before saying, “I could eat.  What did you have in mind?”

“Dole Whip.”

“What’s that?”  Damian cocked his head as he followed his brother.

“Pineapple juice and pineapple soft serve.”

They angled towards a stand that had quite a long line for something that wasn’t a ride.  They were served exactly what Dick had described and took it over to a bench to eat their snack.  Damian took one bite before stopping and staring at the concoction in his hand.

Dick noticed he wasn’t eating and asked, “What’s wrong?  Something wrong with it?”

Damian looked up with wide eyes and said softly, “This…is…amazing.”

“Why don’t you eat up, before it melts?  Maybe, we can get another later, if you want.”

The snacks were soon devoured, and Dick noticed that Damian wasn’t trying so hard to keep his expression neutral anymore.  They wandered the park for a bit, just looking at the sights and walking through a couple shops, looking at various bits of merchandise.

After setting down a large coffee mug painted to look like Goofy, Damian looked up and said, “I suppose, since we already found something for Robin, we should probably look for something for Father.”

Dick nodded, “If we’re looking for souvenirs, we should look for everyone.”

“That sounds reasonable.”  Damian caught a shrewd look crossing Dick’s face and asked, “What?”

“There are four people to shop for back home.  Let’s split it up two and two.”

“You’re going to play this like a test, like the video store last summer, aren’t you?”

“That is the whole point of gift giving; to find something that the recipient would like.  Do you want to choose who you will be picking gifts for, or would you like to just divide it up when you find something?”

Damian thought for a second.  “We should choose who we get gifts for.  That way we can focus our search better.”

They left the store and got in line for the Jungle Cruise.  The line moved quickly enough that Dick was asking as they sat in the boat, “I suppose you will want to choose Bruce to shop for.  Who is your second?  Alfred?”

“If that’s how you want to divide it.”

“I’m asking _you_ , Damian.”

Damian shook his head.  “I think I would like a challenge.  I’ll shop for Father and Drake.  You can shop for Pennyworth and Todd.”

Dick was only partly paying attention to Damian as the boat passed a group of animatronic elephants.  They stopped their discussion of gifts for the remainder of the ride as they passed the landscapes of the world and its various animal life.  Dick was glad to hear Damian chuckle several times at the bad jokes.  He was pleased that the boy was trying to enjoy himself.

There was a definite grin on Damian’s face as the brothers left the Jungle Cruise behind.  Dick aimed them towards another sign he recognized, the Pirates of the Caribbean. 

As they floated through the island village, in the process of being ransacked, Damian asked, “How did they do it?”

“Do what?”

Damian looked over and said, “The movies only came out, what…ten, twelve years ago, right?  How did they make the ride look so old?”

Dick laughed as he said, “The ride came first, Damian.  In fact, the movies were my idea.”

Damian looked at Dick incredulously.  “What?  Why do you think that?”

“Bruce and I rode this in California, and I told him that this would make a good movie.  He agreed, and a few years later, there was a movie.”

Damian shook his head, “That doesn’t mean that it was your idea, Grayson.  For all you know, they could have been working on making the movies for years before you even knew the ride existed.”

Dick sighed.  “I guess you’re right, but I can still dream, can’t I?  I’m just glad you didn’t try to compare the ride to modern day pirates.”

Damian looked dead serious as he said, “That would be foolish, Grayson.  The supposed location of this ride is nowhere near Somalia.”

Dick nodded sagely, barely able to keep the smile off his face, “You’re right.  ‘Pirates of the East African Coastal Region’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it.”

Wandering again, the brothers worked their way into Frontierland.  Dick was starting to get mildly concerned that Damian, while he seemed to be loosening up, didn’t seem to be in a hurry to see anything.

The boy in question had taken up a position leaning against a fence, looking out contemplatively over the Rivers of America.  In the middle of the river lay Tom Sawyer Island.  Dick joined him in leaning against the fence and watched as children played on the island, running, chasing, shouting, and laughing.

Dick nudged Damian lightly, “Hey, you okay over there?”

Damian didn’t answer for a full minute, but started with a small sigh, not taking his eyes off the island.  “What was it like, Grayson,” Damian asked softly.

“What was what like?”

“Being a child.  I don’t think I ever was one.”

Dick took a deep breath, “What brought that on?”

Damian nodded out at the Island and said, “Them.  Look at them.  Running, screaming, smiling; not a care in the world.  I can’t be that much older than most of them, why doesn’t that kind of activity interest me?  Why couldn’t I have been…normal?”

Dick glanced at the youth, “Who says you aren’t normal?”

Damian snorted, “Just about anyone who has ever met me.”

Dick sighed, “That kind of activity doesn’t interest you because a serious crime was committed against you.  Your childhood was stolen.  Talia probably never had one herself, which is most likely why you were never given one.  Damian, you really shouldn’t compare yourself to other kids your age.  Like you said, they don’t have a care in the world.  You do.  None of them will ever know what it’s like to do something that truly helps people, the way we do.  Some of them may become police officers or soldiers,” Dick leaned over to whisper in Damian’s ear, “but none of them will ever be Robin, the Boy Wonder.  None of them will ever strike fear into the hearts of criminals.  And, most likely, none of them will ever win the heart of Robin Abbey.”

Damian spun around to look at Dick, “They better not, or there’s going to be problems.”

A smile crossed Dick’s face at the defensive tone.  “Do you want to give the whole running, playing, not a care in the world thing a try?  It’s just a short boat ride over to the island.”

“Is that the whole point of this trip?  To turn me into…them?”

Dick looked back at the carefree children cavorting on the island, “No, but I did want to show you that there can be a happy medium.  You can choose what you want to be; who you want to be.  If you want to be like them, and try to recapture a childhood you never had, then this is probably a good place to do it.  I don’t want you to do anything that’s going to make you uncomfortable.  Lord knows there is enough of that in our lives.”

Damian looked at a loss.  “I still don’t get it, Grayson,” Damian said, exasperated.

Dick sighed, “All Bruce and I want is for you to be happy.  That’s it.  If running around and playing makes you happy, then do that.  If becoming the youngest executive in Wayne Enterprises history makes you happy, do that.  If some in-between combination works, then do that.”

“I don’t know what makes me happy,” Damian mumbled.

Dick regarded his brother seriously, “You don’t know, or you don’t want to face ridicule for the things you are hiding from us?”

Damian turned and began walking, wandering again, feeling that movement would help his mind work.  Dick kept pace easily for several minutes before saying, “We aren’t looking for ways to make you feel bad, Damian.  We don’t want to do that to you.  No one will make fun of you for being who you are.  Well, Jason might, but that’s just his nature.  He’s not doing it to hurt you, it’s just how he relates to people.”

Damian was silent until they were back at the fence where they started, watching the kids play again.  He spoke softly, “If I were to try the carefree thing, what would happen when we leave here?”

“What do you mean?”

“Once we go home, and are back facing all the crime and evil plots and death and destruction, what happens then?  What will have changed?”

Dick gave a small smile, “You will.  This is what I am trying to teach you.  Everything you said will still be there when we get home and need to go out and face it again.  The only difference will be you.  This time here is an escape, a chance to let yourself relax and let the tension ease up.  If you keep going, hitting the problems as hard as you can, eventually you will run up against one that is harder than you, and you will be the one getting hit.  You’ve spent enough time in casts and bandages and hospital beds.  You deserve to be out of the dark.  Take your time in the sun.  Remember, it will all still be there when we get home, but that doesn’t mean we can’t forget it for a while.”

Damian turned away from the view of Tom Sawyer Island and leaned his back against the fence.  He inched himself a little closer to Dick who was leaning against the fence as well.  “Why haven’t you been able to talk Father into taking a vacation for over ten years?”

“To be honest, I didn’t talk him into taking his last vacation, and I doubt he would call it a vacation.”

Damian looked up at Dick, “What do you mean?”

Dick smirked, “It started out as a mission.  He accomplished his objectives just fine, but disappeared for a while on his way home.  This was during the time when Bruce and I weren’t on the best speaking terms.  I had wanted to make amends with him, so Alfred called me when he got home.  He looked…I don’t know if happy is the right word, but happier.  He also had something bothering him.  I thought it was just our relationship, and seeing me again.  We were able to work through our issues after a while, and the disturbed look left his eyes.  I didn’t find out what had actually been bothering him until many years later.”

Damian looked interested, “What was bothering him?”

The smirk grew larger, “Oh, just a loose end he left untied.  Don’t worry, we took care of it.”

Damian asked in a suspicious tone, “How long ago, exactly, was this…unplanned vacation?”

Dick threw an arm around Damian and said, “A little over thirteen years ago.”

Damian did the math in his head.  “The last time Father took a vacation, _I was conceived_?”

“Some souvenir, huh?”

“No wonder he doesn’t want to take another vacation.”

Dick laughed and shook his brother.  He was pleased to see a small smile on Damian’s face, after their heavy conversation.  He herded his brother off towards Splash Mountain.  “Come on, it’s hot.  Let’s cool off a bit.  This topic is a bit heavy for a day at Disney World.”

As they rode past the animatronic Song of the South, Damian asked, “Have you ever seen this movie, Grayson?”

“No.  It’s banned in the United States for offering a fake, positive depiction of slavery.  We only have the songs to remind us of a less politically correct time.  Why?”

The log was climbing a hill as Damian said, “No reason.  I was just wondering how a large drooooooop!” the word was extended into a shout as they went over the fall, “ties into a movie with cartoon animals singing with a black guy.”

“Have you seen it, Damian?”

Damian shrugged, “There are clips available on the internet, but I haven’t seen the whole thing.”

They left the ride, both brothers smiling slightly.  Dick nudged Damian, “Did it help?”

“Help what?  Help me to stop thinking about how you just confirmed what Mother used to say, about me being a biological accident?”

“Why are you so set on seeing yourself as less than what you are?  Damn, Damian, what do we have to do?  You are loved.  So, you didn’t see much of that early in your life.  We can’t make up for that, but we can make sure that the rest of your life isn’t spent the same way.  Not many people get a second chance, Damian.  Maybe you should start thinking about just how lucky you are to get one?  You have a family that wants you, so just…shut up and accept it.”

A smirk grew on Damian’s face.  He thought, _that’s what I needed to hear, I think.  I think I’m starting to feel better._ “If I must.”

Dick read the look on his brother’s face and realized that the boy had made some sort of breakthrough in the last ten seconds.  _I think I got through to him.  Maybe he can start enjoying this._   “You must,” Dick said with a huff.  “If you don’t, I’m calling Tim and having him buy you a whole wardrobe while he’s in Germany.”

Damian looked at Dick strangely, “I fail to see how that is the punishment you seem to think it is.”

“What I mean is I’m going to burn the rest of your clothes and leave you with nothing but a closet full of lederhosen.”

Damian thought for a second before shrugging and saying, “Can we go pick up Drake at the airport?  I want to see him explain that at Customs.”

Dick laughed, “Come on, I’m getting hungry.  It’s about time for lunch, don’t you think?”

Damian’s stomach rumbled, answering for him.

_An Hour Later…_

Damian rubbed his stomach after reaching a painful level of satiation.  He normally watched what he ate very closely, and limited his portion sizes.  Talia had taught him many useful and terrible things in his life, but he never felt like dietary restrictions were a burden, or a particularly evil lesson.  Today, however, everything had gone out the window, as he ate like he had never seen food before.

Dick smiled as he, too, finished eating.  He was always amazed with just how much his little brother could put away when he broke his own limits.  Dick sometimes wondered if he had more in common with Wally than with himself.  _I never ate much when I was his age.  It must have come from growing up in the circus.  This, however…we could have fed a small family with what we both just ate._

“Feel better,” Dick asked with a smile.

Damian just groaned slightly as Dick cleared the table of their trash.  He watched his brother as he walked back to the table and thought _how joking is his mood right now?_

“So, they have a couple roller coasters here we haven’t been on yet.  You up to it?”

Knowing his brother’s response to any challenge, Dick was not surprised when Damian stood up and held up a finger, opening his mouth to no doubt give a scathing reply.  What came out instead was a small whimper, before Damian quickly snapped his mouth shut, winced, and shook his head.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have had that whole funnel cake, on top of the Caesar Salad and the turkey burger?”

“I was hungry,” Damian moaned.

Smiling, Dick said, “Yeah, yeah.  Come on, hungry, let’s get out of here before you become pukey.”

“I’m _not_ ,” a small burp interrupted Damian’s denial.  He continued in a weaker voice, “I’m not going to throw up.”

“Whatever you say.  Say, how do you do on boats?”

Damian looked at Dick strangely, “I’ve never had a problem with them.  Then again, I’d never been car sick before yesterday.”

Dick looked slightly guilty as he said, “I don’t think that was the car.  I think it was what we gave you to get you in the car.  S-sorry about that, by the way.”

Damian sighed, then waved away the apology.  “There is nothing we can do about that now; no reason to apologize for something that had relatively little damage.”

Dick led Damian onto the Liberty Belle and grabbed a couple chairs towards the bow.  The ship set sail around the Rivers of America, and Dick spent the first half of the ride furtively glancing at Damian.

Without looking, Damian sighed and said, “What?”

“I just want to make sure you’re having a good time today.  There have been a few more serious discussions than I thought there would be today.”

“Isn’t part of relaxing letting go of what’s bothering us?  We haven’t discussed any of your issues today yet.  Are you saving those for tomorrow, or are you going to continue to poke and prod at my soft spots?”

Dick turned in his chair, “We didn’t have to discuss any of what we did, Damian.  I’m just trying to help you out a bit.  I’m floundering here, Damian.  I just want to make sure we aren’t here just because you think it will make me happy.”

Damian was silent for a minute, until Dick turned back around and faced forward again, his enjoyment of the boat ride waning as every second passed.

“Does being here make you happy,” Damian asked softly.

Dick looked back at Damian and whispered, “Well, yeah, it does.  I would be happier if you were happy as well, though.”

Damian took several deep breaths before turning to face his brother.  Dick was concerned at the conflicted expression on the boy’s face.  Damian’s bottom lip was quivering when he said, “Making you happy makes me happy.  I don’t need all this, unless this is what makes you happy.  It doesn’t matter where we are, so long as we’re together.  I…I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

“You’re not alone, pal.  How about this.  How about, at least for the rest of today, we try to not have any more of these discussions, and just enjoy the park for what it is.  That is a third of the reason we’re here.  Can we do that?”

Damian looked up with a soft smile, “That would make me happy, Grayson.”

They left the riverboat behind, both of their moods starting to lighten with their new agreement.  Dick asked, “How’s the stomach, really?”

Damian gave another small burp and said, “Pretty good, actually.  Where is this roller coaster you were talking about?”

Dick smirked and led him towards Big Thunder Mountain.  “Over here.  I think you’ll like this one; it’s a train.”

Damian looked quizzical, “Aren’t all roller coasters trains?”

Dick stopped, a look of wonder on his face.  “I never thought about that before.  I guess they are, they’re just trains that don’t really go anywhere.  Wow.  You know, for your first time at a theme park, you’re becoming an expert at this pretty quick.”

A smile crossed Damian’s face and he opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again with an almost sad look.  Dick cocked his head and looked at the boy, “What is it?”

Damian sighed, “I was going to make a conceited remark, but…It just didn’t feel right.  I don’t know, I just didn’t feel like it was necessary.  I was just thinking how not saying it was…different.”

A pleased smile grew on Dick’s face.  “Wow.  My little brother is growing up.  You have no idea how proud of you Bruce would be if he had just seen what I saw.”

They boarded the train, and Damian looked up at Dick with a hopeful expression, “He would have been proud?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.  I may just have to call him when we get off the ride and let him know.”

The glow of Dick’s words helped boost Damian’s spirits more than all of their previous heavy conversations combined.  Leaving the ride, which they both enjoyed, but Damian felt was highly improbable, since he had no idea how a runaway train could ever happen, he convinced Dick to call later as they headed away from Frontierland and across the park.

They entered Tomorrowland, and Damian was amazed that he could walk from the past to the future in just a few minutes.  They walked through the land, more or less heading in the direction of Space Mountain, when a deep voice called out to Dick.

Dick looked around, while Damian began to assume a defensive posture, in case they were being attacked.  Instead, Dick tapped Damian’s shoulder and pointed up, where Mark and Jamie Pierce, and their kids, were waving from the People Mover.  The brothers relaxed and waved back as the family moved off at a serene pace.  Dick and Damian looked at each other as the car wound out of sight and gave a nervous laugh.

“Maybe we need to take vacations more often,” Damian said.

“I think so.  We are too used to being attacked and going on the offensive at strange noises.  Bruce would be happy with our reactions, but it really shouldn’t be our go-to when out as civilians.”

They had to wait in line for Space Mountain, and every twenty seconds or so, Damian whipped his head around.  Dick thought it was suspicious, so he asked, “Something wrong?”

“Yeah,” Damian said after another quick turn, “We’re out here, exposed.  I feel like we’re being watched.”

Dick smiled, “We are.”

“…And, you’re okay with that?”

Dick pointed to several spots on adjacent buildings.  “Look around, Damian.  There are security cameras covering every square inch of this park.  They are there to keep us safe, not to find out anything…suspicious.  They have no reason to tie us to anything, just like you have no reason to be suspicious of park security.  So long as you don’t do anything wrong, you’ll be okay.”

Damian grumbled, but kept any further comments to himself.  They were soon inside and on the ride, which they both found exhilarating.  Dick was about to tell Damian about his experience with Space Mountain in California, when something else caught his eye.

Dick stalked off, leaving a confused Damian to follow in his wake.  He asked, “Hey, Grayson.  Slow down.  What’s wrong?”

Dick stopped in front of the Tomorrowland Speedway and turned to face his brother, who had to stop quickly in order to not run his elder over.  “Young man, it’s time to put your money where your mouth is.  Consider this a test for future _activities_.  If you get through this safely, I’ll put in a good word with Bruce, and maybe he’ll lighten up on one of your restrictions.  This, Damian Wayne, is your driver’s test.”

He waved his arm expansively at the array of diminutive cars lined up on the concrete track.  Damian looked at Dick like he had lost his mind before responding, “Are you feeling alright, Grayson?  You aren’t suffering from heat stroke or anything, are you?  How exactly will driving a toy car on a track where it’s impossible to hit anything, at a speed just north of walking pace, prepare me for handling something like the…um, Father’s favorite car?”

Dick smirked, “You have to start somewhere.”

Damian leaned in close and whispered in Dick’s ear.  “Does the fact that Mother already taught me how to drive mean nothing to anyone in this family?  I was driving Land Rovers and military troop transports from the time I could see over the dashboard.  How exactly is this going to compare to that?”

Dick looked at the boy strangely.  “How could you even reach the pedals in a troop transport?”

“Pedal extensions.  What really matters, though, is that, if I’m counting time right from the stories you’ve told me, I learned to drive almost a year before Drake did.  I bet _he_ wasn’t made to learn in something out of a Dr. Seuss tale.”

“Damian, I’m rather impressed that you even know who Dr. Seuss is, but these are just small, electric cars, designed for fun, not for going to the store to pick up some green eggs and ham.”

Damian rolled his eyes and shook his head, “How did I know you were going to say that?”

They walked up to their car and Dick said, “Fine.  I’ll drive.”

Damian nudged Dick out of the way, and jumped under the steering wheel.  “I don’t think so, Grayson.”

Dick’s smile matched Damian’s as he got in to the small car.  They pulled away from the loading area with more noise than Damian was expecting.  He turned to Dick and said, “That isn’t an electric motor, Grayson.  That is a one-cylinder, two stroke engine.”

“Huh.  I would have thought they would have found a way to make them electric.”

“It would probably take too long to charge all of them.  Okay, what is my challenge?”

Dick thought for a second before saying, “You only have a small amount of room between the concrete track and whatever is used as a guide on the underside of the car.  If you can make it around without running into the track, I’ll talk to Bruce about you at least being allowed to drive something on the grounds, with one of us in the car for guidance.”

Damian shrugged, “That is probably going to be the best I’m going to get until I’m sixteen, right?”

A thought came to Dick, and he said, “If you do well enough, I might be able to talk Bruce into a surprise.  It may have to wait until your birthday, but I think he might go for it.”

“What is it?”  Damian sounded intrigued.

“It’s a surprise, weren’t you listening?  Now, don’t hit anything.”

As soon as the words were out of Dick’s mouth, they were rammed from behind by another car.  Damian had been slowing down to not run into the car in front, which had been slowing down to not hit the car that stopped in front of it.  Damian looked over at Dick with wide eyes and said, “That wasn’t my fault.”

A second slam from behind continued the chain reaction, until a Disney employee materialized, seemingly out of nowhere, and scolded the driver of the first car for stopping on the track.  As they got moving again, the brothers smiled when they heard the employee admonish the driver behind them for not stopping safely.

A short ways down the track, they were hit from behind again.  This time, Damian whipped around to glare and yell at the offending driver, but he forgot to take his hands off the wheel.  As such, the car was thrown sharply sideways, bouncing them back and forth off the center track guide.  As they bounced, a giggle erupted from Damian, surprising both of them.

Chuckling, Dick asked, “Are you okay?”

Trying to recover from his uncharacteristic outburst, Damian said, “It takes more than that to hurt one of us.”

“I meant the…”

Damian interrupted, “I know what you meant.  I’m sorry, I was having fun.  I didn’t mean to.”

“But you did anyways, and you let it show.  Was that so bad?”

Damian looked sheepishly at Dick, “I suppose not.  I…were you…having fun, too?”

Dick snaked an arm around Damian’s shoulder.  “I still am, and I think you are, too.  Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

“Just like me,” Damian mumbled.

“What was that?”

Damian’s eyes widened, “You weren’t supposed to hear that!”

Dick’s smile grew as they got out of the small car.  “Did you mean that?  That you feel safe with me?”

Damian couldn’t answer, and his cheeks flamed bright red.  He looked down at the ground and nodded.

Dick led them towards the line for the People Mover and said softly, “That’s nothing to be embarrassed about.  I feel safe with you, too.  We’re supposed to; that is the essence of family.”

Damian thought about that while they rode around Tomorrowland.  Despite everything, he was having a good day, and he had Dick to thank for that.  Damian thought Dick was having a good time, too, but it just seemed that something was bothering Dick.  _He must still be worried that I’m not enjoying this plan of his.  I am, I just wish I could bring myself to tell him.  He shouldn’t be feeling bad, especially not here.  I wish I knew how to express myself better, then maybe he would realize he doesn’t need to try so hard.  I’ll ask him tonight what’s wrong.  I promised we wouldn’t have any more of those discussions here._

The sun was definitely casting longer shadows by the time they exited the People Mover.  Damian looked up, suddenly less than comfortable with his thoughts.  “Sun is starting to go down.  What time does this place close?”

Dick looked a little crestfallen at the question.  “Did you want to leave, Damian?  It’s been kind of a long day.”

Damian looked confused for a second before saying quickly, “Huh?  Oh, no.  I was just wondering.  There’s attractions here that we haven’t done yet.  I was just wondering how many of them we could get in before they shut down for the day.”

A small smile returned to Dick’s face, “Oh, okay.  I think they’re open until midnight.”

“Good.  Well, um, was there anything you wanted to go on?  We don’t have to only do the things that you think I’ll like.  This is for you, too.”

“Well, there are a couple things, but I don’t want to bore you.”

Damian shrugged, “This may be the only time I ever come here.  We might as well experience everything we can in the time we have.”

Dick smiled and led Damian back into Fantasyland.  “I know it sounds a little childish, but I would like to ride the carrousel.  They’ve always…Damian?”

Dick looked around and found that he was talking to himself again.  Looking back, he saw Damian had stopped and was reading the sign announcing the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride.  He walked back to his brother and asked, “Hey, you okay?”  The boy just nodded, so Dick continued, a bit worried about the expression on Damian’s face.  “Did you want to ride this one first?”

Another nod met Dick’s question, and Damian did something that caught Dick completely off guard.  Dick took a step towards the line before Damian grabbed his arm and stopped him.  Dick looked at the almost dazed expression on Damian’s face, before his attention was diverted.  He looked at the hand on his arm, and watched as it slid down the limb to place itself in Dick’s hand.  Surprised, Dick gave the hand a gentle squeeze, which seemed to signal to Damian that it was okay.  They walked into the ride side by side, Damian holding onto Dick’s hand tightly.

The attraction could have been giving out winning lottery numbers, and Dick would have missed it, because he spent the entire ride looking at his younger brother.  Damian looked around the colorful attraction like he was seeing an old friend again, while at the same time looking eminently sad and depressed.

Upon exiting the ride, Dick directed the boy, who had not let go of his hand for the entire ride, to a nearby bench.  “Talk to me, Damian.  This isn’t like you.”

Damian took a shuddering breath and said quietly, “You said no more heavy conversations while at Disney World.”

“I was wrong.  We need to have this one.  Tell me everything.”

Damian took another shaky breath and stared at their entwined hands.  “Mother employed several nannies to raise me.  She obviously couldn’t be bothered to do it herself.  One of them was probably the closest thing to a friend I had while growing up.  She was nice to me, and not just because Mother paid her.  She used to read me stories all the time, when Mother didn’t have me training one thing or another.  Every night, she would read me Winnie the Pooh stories before bed.  I…I loved those stories.  They told me that…no matter how horrific the day had been, there was always something…I don’t know.  Something nice.  Like…like there was more to life than the austere, hard existence that Mother forced on us.  Was that so wrong?”

Damian’s eyes were full of unshed tears as he looked up at Dick questioningly.  “No, Damian.  That wasn’t wrong.  It sounds like she really cared for you.  I hate to ask, because I can just tell that it’s going to hurt you, but what is the other half of this story?”

Damian looked back down at their hands.  “Mother walked in and found her reading to me one night, when I was four.  Winnie the Pooh was not an approved story for my education.  I guess she was supposed to be reading me Sun Tzu or Machiavelli or something.  Mother put her to death, right there, in my bedroom.  She said it was to teach me a lesson; that softness was for the weak, and had no place in the League of Assassins.  I…it caught me off guard, seeing it here.  I didn’t think…”

Damian trailed off as Dick pulled him into a hug.  They were silent for several minutes before Dick murmured in Damian’s ear, “I’m sorry she did that to you, Damian.  There was no good reason to do that to you.  I bet it’s memories like that that make it hard for you to show your true self to others.”

Damian nodded against Dick’s shoulder before the older brother pulled back with a small smile, “I bet you were a Tigger fan.”

Damian sniffed before saying, “Eeyore.  Tigger was always number two, though.”  Damian looked critically at Dick before a small smirk broke through the gloom, “You must have been the epitome of Tigger when you were growing up.”

“Oh yeah,” Dick said with a laugh, “but, my favorite was always Piglet.”

Damian snorted, “Figures.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Damian wiped at his eyes before saying, “Piglet is the quintessential sidekick, always tagging along with Pooh Bear.  I’m surprised you didn’t try to incorporate Piglet into your first costume.”

Dick said softly, “If there was anything but black in Bruce’s outfit, I might have thought of it.  I will take this time to point out that the yellow of your cape is _awfully_ close to Pooh Bear yellow.”

Damian looked thoughtful before shrugging, “Oh well.  We might as well move on.  You were saying something about the carrousel?”

“Are you sure you’re ready?”

“No, but you have said before that they’re calming.  I could use a little calming right now.”

They walked off, Damian rising a bit shakily, but not in danger of crying anymore.  Dick helped Damian onto a horse, unnecessarily in Damian’s opinion.  As he was making sure Damian’s belt was secured, he whispered in the boy’s ear, “Thank you for sharing that with me.  I know it couldn’t have been easy for you.”

Damian looked uncomfortable as Dick mounted his own wooden steed and said softly, “Well, if I have to tell someone, I guess I would rather it be you than Father.”

Dick looked simultaneously pleased and hurt.  “Why do you say that?”

Damian shrugged, “You seem to take it better when you hear about…growing up how I did.  You don’t get the same pained look that Father does.  He…he doesn’t want to hear those things.”

“That isn’t why he looks pained.  He does want to hear it, Damian.  Believe me, he does.  Bruce wishes you would tell him more, even if it hurts him.”

“I don’t want to hurt him,” Damian murmured.

Dick looked oddly at his brother, “But you’re okay with hurting me?”

Damian looked shocked, “Does it hurt you when I tell you…those things?”

“Just as much as it does Bruce.  I don’t show it, because you need to tell it to someone, and if I showed just how much those stories hurt to hear, like Bruce does, you would probably never talk to me again.”

They rode the carrousel around three times before Damian said, “I’m sorry, Grayson.  I wish you’d told me earlier.  I would have stopped.”

“That’s not the answer, Damian.  The answer is to tell me more, and tell Bruce everything, because holding it inside will only hurt you.  Yes, it may hurt to hear your tales, but that’s how we help each other.  Maybe you and Bruce would get along better at home if Bruce had a better understanding of you.  Protecting him by not sharing isn’t doing either of you any favors.”

Damian nodded, “I’ll…I’ll try, Grayson.  That’s about all I can promise right now.”

Dick smiled, “That’s all I can ask of you, is that you try.”

They walked around Fantasyland some more before Dick stopped in front of Peter Pan’s Flight.  “Any scarring memories tied to Peter Pan?”

Damian smirked and replied, “Not yet, but I’m sure we can come up with something between the two of us.”

Dick laughed and said, “I don’t doubt it,” as they got on the ride.

The sun had set completely by the time they got off the ride.  Dick rubbed his stomach and said, “Hey, are you about ready for dinner?”

Damian gave the man a pained look and said, “I guess so, but you are doing the ordering this time.  Save me from myself, Grayson.”

Dick smirked as they walked into a restaurant.  “You just made a joke, Damian.  See, you’re relaxing, and it’s not hurting anybody, especially not you.  Go get us a table, I’ll get the food.”

Dick returned several minutes later to find Damian deep in thought.  The boy didn’t seem to notice when Dick sat down and put a cheeseburger and fries in front of him.”

“Yoo hoo!  Earth to Damian, come in Damian.”

Damian looked up as if waking from a trance.  “What?”

“Dinner.  Eat up, while it’s still hot.”

They both started eating, but soon the contemplative look took over Damian’s features again.  Once he had finished his burger, Dick sighed and asked, “What is it this time?”

Damian swallowed the last of his burger before saying, “I was just thinking about all the shops we’ve looked through today.  I haven’t seen anything that looks like a good gift for Father or Drake.”

Dick smiled, relieved that the topic wasn’t another horrifying memory.  “Maybe you’ll find something tomorrow?”

“At the Wild Animal Park, or the Water Park?  The last thing Father needs is a monkey or a Speedo.”

Dick came very close to spraying soda from his nose as he laughed at the remark.  “Well, he already has enough monkeys at home.  As for the Speedo, I can think of any number of Gotham socialites and heiresses who would give their net worth to see him in one.”

Damian shuddered as he made the mistake of imagining his Father in a banana hammock, then laughed openly as the image morphed in his mind to Batman wearing one over his costume.  Dick raised an eyebrow, to which Damian replied, “I’ll tell you later.  It’s not something for public discussion.”

Dick’s grin turned evil before he leaned in to Damian and said, “Speaking of Gotham socialites and heiresses, there may be more than one of the next generation of Gotham’s elite who wouldn’t bat an eye at seeing _you_ in a Speedo.  Tell me the truth; if Robin asked, would she get to see it?”

Damian blushed deeply.  His mouth worked open and closed several times as his brain slammed to a halt.  “I…I…I,” Damian coughed, trying to regain himself, “I think there are more who would rather see you in one.”

“I don’t doubt it, but I don’t get embarrassed easily.  Remember, I grew up wearing a skintight performance outfit every night in front of hundreds of strangers.  You didn’t answer my question, though.  Would she?”

The boy grew a lovesick look as he gazed off into the distance.  He said wistfully, “I would do just about anything for her.”

“Come on, loverboy.  Let’s take another run through the shops and see if anything strikes your fancy, then call it a night.  It’s been a long, hot day, and I, for one, really need a shower.”

_That night…_

Damian and Dick were thoroughly spent from their day walking around Disney World, but Damian couldn’t let himself fall asleep without getting an answer to a question that had been nagging him most of the day.

“Grayson?”

Dick answered with a yawn, “Yeah, Little D?”

“You spent a lot of time today talking about getting to know me.  Why do you feel you need to get to know me?  I think you know me better than anyone.”

Dick thought for a second before replying.  “I thought I did, too, and I liked that.  However, lately, I feel like I don’t.  I know you’ve noticed that we don’t spend as much time together as we used to.”

Damian nodded in the darkened room.  “I _have_ noticed.  You always seem like you’re busy.”

“I have been busy,” Dick started, before mentally kicking himself for taking the easy out that Damian had given him.  “But that’s no excuse.  You’re my brother, and I shouldn’t have to force myself to want to spend time with you.”

Damian winced; _that comment hurt,_ he thought _._ “Did I do something wrong, Grayson?  Something to make you…not want to be around me anymore?  We used to spend a lot more time together.”

“We did, but it’s nothing you did.  It’s, well…it’s me.”

Damian sat up in his bed.  “You?  You didn’t do anything.”

Dick sat up as well.  “But I did.  I did, and I got what I deserved for it.  I didn’t deserve the second chance you gave me, Damian.”

“Wait,” Damian interrupted, “Do you still feel guilty about the whole alley fight thing?”

Dick switched the light back on and looked at his younger brother with pain behind his eyes.  “Damian, you don’t understand.  I broke more than your arm that night, I broke a bond.  I broke the trust that you gave me.  I know how hard it was to build that trust, and how easily it was broken.”

“I do understand, Grayson.  What I don’t understand is why you are still acting like this.  Yes, it hurt; both the arm and the trust, but…”

Dick interrupted Damian, “Don’t tell me it’s all better now.  I may have been drunk out of my mind, but I remember what you said in your closet.  It takes more than empty words and a hug to make this go away.  I…I haven’t earned the right to be your brother yet.  I’m trying, and I want to get back to where we were, but I don’t think I deserve it yet.”

“Says who,” Damian challenged quietly.

“What,” Dick asked, stunned.

“You didn’t earn the right to be my brother the first time.  You took it.  You wormed your way into my life, slowly but steadily, until the only choices I had were to accept you, or kill you.  If I didn’t want you in my life, do you honestly think you would still be breathing?  If I didn’t want to be around you, would I be in this hotel room now?  I opened the door for you; I allowed you back into my life.  I want you in my life.  It’s time you take it, like you did before.  Take what’s yours, and know that you don’t have to earn what someone is willing to give you freely.”

Dick’s lower lip trembled as he said, “It may never be the same as it was before.”

“Who says it has to be?  What is to say that it won’t be better?  We’ve been tried and tested, and we are still here.  We’ve weathered the storm.  Don’t make me have to knock some sense into you.  There’s been enough hurt between us.  You wanted us to take this trip so I could relax.  I’m not the only one who needs to relax, Grayson.  Maybe it’s not all better.  Maybe it’s…scabbed over.  It’s rough, and hard, on top, but underneath, the healing is well underway.”

Dick got up, walked over, and sat next to Damian.  “You really believe that, Damian?”

Damian leaned into Dick’s side and said, “I believe that you have been punishing yourself unnecessarily, for something I no longer blame you for.  Maybe, this time, the Grayson method _is_ the preferred method of handling this?”

Dick smirked as he wrapped his arms around Damian’s shoulders.  “The Grayson method?  You mean hugging you until you forgive me?”

“No, because I forgave you months ago.”

Dick’s smirk grew, “So, you want me to stop hugging you?”

Damian turned slightly, so he could wrap his arms tightly around Dick’s chest.  “I didn’t say that.”

_The Next Day…_

Sunlight poured in through slightly parted window curtains, bathing the room in a morning glow.  Damian yawned and stretched without opening his eyes, then rolled over to turn his back to the window.

“’Morning, sleepy head.”

Dick’s voice came softly from across the room, where the older brother had been sitting and looking out of the window.  He hadn’t been up for too long before he heard Damian shifting in bed, but he found that he couldn’t fall asleep again once he was awake.

A sleepy voice mumbled out, “What time is it?”

Dick checked his watch, “Nine forty-five.”

Damian opened his eyes.  _That’s kind of late.  He had a schedule set out for everything he wanted us to do while we’re here.  Did I just throw off the whole trip?  Why didn’t he wake me up?_   “Oh, sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“You had that whole schedule.  Why didn’t you wake me?”

Dick smiled softly.  “Don’t worry, you didn’t mess anything up.  It’s not a schedule, just a list of ideas.”

Damian rolled over and looked at Dick, “Are you sure?”

“Damian, when Bruce took me to Disneyland for my eleventh birthday, we followed a schedule for the trip.  Some of it was necessary, because we had reservations for certain activities.  The one memory of the trip that always sticks with me, other than having fun, is the fact that we were there for five days, and woke up before dawn every day.  I didn’t want that this trip.  I don’t want us to feel like we’re rushing to get anywhere.  Remember, we’re here to relax, and personally, I don’t find it relaxing to be up before the sun.”

Damian sighed, “Yeah, but you’ve been up…”

“For about fifteen minutes,” Dick interrupted.  “I got to watch you sleep for a bit.  I don’t get to do that at home.  Must not have been any nightmares tonight, because you looked peaceful.  It was nice.”

_Not any I haven’t had before,_ Damian thought.  Dick caught the hint of a sad look cross Damian’s face and asked, “What is it?”

Damian sighed, “Just because I looked peaceful, doesn’t mean I didn’t have any nightmares.  I,” Damian sat up and looked down at the bed guiltily, “I have nightmares every night.  I’m just so used to them that they seem normal now.”

Dick sat down on the bed and placed a hand on Damian’s knee.  “They’ll go away, brother.  Mine did.”

Damian looked up, “No, they didn’t.  Maybe you just block them out, but you still have them.”

Dick shrugged, “You’re right.  I do still have the occasional nightmare, but they aren’t a nightly occurrence anymore, like they were when I was growing up.  You want to tell me about it?”

“No.  This one wasn’t that bad.  It was an old one, one I’ve had many times before.  Enough of this, though.  You said no heavy conversations at Disney World.  We can go a day without one.”

Dick met Damian’s eyes for a minute before nodding and saying, “Yes, we can, but if you need to get something out, we’ll talk.  Remember, I also said that bottling things up only hurts you.”

“I will, on one condition.”

Dick smiled, “What condition?”

“That you admit that you deserve to be my brother, and if anything, I’m the one who needs to earn the right to be your brother.”

Dick’s smile grew as he drew Damian into a tight hug.  “You just earned it, right there.”

“…And?”

“And, you are my awesome little brother, and I deserve you.”

Damian squeezed Dick for a moment before getting up and asking, “Good.  What’s first today?  Are we still going to try to hit both parks?”

“I think so,” Dick said, “I really only saw one thing I really wanted to do in the Animal Kingdom.  I’m sure we’ll come across more, but there is really only one must-hit attraction for me there.”

Damian rummaged through his clothes, pulling out something to wear for the day.  “Sounds good, Grayson.  It’s going to be just as hot as it was yesterday, isn’t it?”

“Probably.  Since we’re going to hit the water park after the Animal Kingdom, why don’t you just wear your swimsuit there?  It’s close enough to shorts to fit in, and it will save us time in not needing to come back here to change.  I’ve already got mine on.  We can get towels at the water park, I’m sure.”

Damian considered his black trunks with the green stripe down one side and said, “That’s a good idea, Grayson.  See, you can get them every once in a while.”

Dick cocked his head, “Isn’t that one of your ‘Tim’ insults?”

“He’s been out of the country for two weeks.  I couldn’t just text him a random insult; insults have to be context-specific.  They’ve been building up; I had to let one out.”

Dick shook his head, laughing.  “I’m going to let him know that you stockpile insults just for him.”

Damian went into the bathroom to change, but stopped at the door first and said, “He already knows.”

After a quick breakfast, the brothers were back on the Monorail, heading in an entirely different direction from the day before.  They entered the park under the already-sweltering sun, and began to look around.

Being trained from an early age in large animal handling, Dick immediately caught the scent of wild animals.  He grinned as memories flooded back into him of countless hours spent around the creatures that had been his first friends.

Still worried about boring Damian, Dick made a conscious effort to bring his attention back to the boy at his side.  It was a nice thought, but one that wasn’t appreciated by the boy, who stood staring at a large tree.  Damian seemed lost in the details that had gone into constructing the massive false foliage.

Dick nudged Damian and said, “Big, isn’t it?”

Damian nodded absently and said with wonder in his voice, “Yeah, it is.  Will you look at that?”

“I am looking, Damian.  Why don’t you tell me what you see?”

Damian sounded confused, “Don’t you see it, too?  All those animals carved into the trunk?  Look at how they intersect and overlap.  It’s like…it’s like they just grew there.  That’s…that’s an impressive piece of art.”

Dick was smiling from ear to ear at hearing Damian describe the Tree of Life.  “You are the artist in the family.  You would have the best eye for telling true masterwork.”

“I wonder how they did that.  Grayson, how could you not have wanted to initially come here?”

“What do you mean?”

Damian led his older brother around the tree, taking in the carved trunk from all angles for close to twenty minutes before speaking again.  “This right here is worth the price of admission.  If it wasn’t so damn hot today, I would…”

“You would what?”  Dick asked.

Damian sighed, “I wish I had my sketch book.  I could fill the rest of the blank pages in my current book, just trying to capture part of this tree.”  Damian turned away from the tree for the first time in half an hour and looked at Dick wistfully.  “Seriously, Grayson.  Give me a sketch book, a pencil, and a chair, and I could sit here for the rest of the day.  You could go off and play with whatever else they have here.  Go ride an elephant or something.  I wouldn’t move from this tree for hours.”

Dick ruffled Damian’s hair affectionately, “I believe you, Damian.  I guess this means we should come back here again someday.  I bet, if you looked hard enough, you could find something to sketch in all of the parks here.  It may not inspire you as much as the tree, but I bet it’s there.”

Damian looked up with a conspiratorial grin and said, “Was that an offer to bring me back here?”

“That depends on what your response to such an offer would be?”

Damian gave his true smile and said, “You wouldn’t have to drug me to get me in the car next time, provided that Father was driving, and that you at least offered to bring Drake.”

Dick’s smile grew.  “Who would have thought that you would be the one to champion a true family vacation?”

Damian shrugged.  He really wanted to wrap an arm around Dick’s waist as they walked, but it was just too hot for close physical contact.  Dick seemed to understand the look on Damian’s face, and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder.  The smile seemed to lock itself on Damian’s face as he said, “Well, I’m still new at this whole family thing, but sometimes, it feels like the rest of you have just as little experience with it as I do.”

Dick nodded, “You’re right.  Tell me, is there any reason you excluded Alfred and Jason?”

Damian cocked his head, thinking.  “I didn’t think of that.  I just assumed that Pennyworth would go where Father went.  I also assumed that Todd would need to be drugged to get him to do anything like this, and that he would put up a bigger fight than I did when he woke up.”

They got in line for the Safari tour, and Dick said, “You’re probably right about Alfred.  Would you have any objections to him coming, though?”

“No.  Why? Should I?”  Damian was wondering if Dick was just asking for enlightenment, or if he was planning something.

“I would hope you wouldn’t have any objections to his coming along.  He seemed to enjoy our trip to Disneyland for my birthday.  We would have to plan it for some time much cooler than early summer, since he insists on wearing suits everywhere.”

They took their seats on the safari truck and waited for the start.  “Father’s birthday is in September.  It should be a little cooler then.  Can you think of a better present for him?”

Dick smirked, “A trip to Disney World?”

Damian shook his head.  “A special time set aside where he has nothing to do but spend some time with us, his sons, and we have nothing better to do but spend time with him, our Father.”

Heat or no heat, Dick pulled Damian tight into his side and said, “Just to hear you, of all people, say that, would be the best gift Bruce ever had.  The only thing Bruce has ever wanted out of life is a family.  His first one was taken from him, and it took him a long time to figure out that he wanted another one.  To be brutally honest, the one he replaced his first one with has always been a bit dysfunctional…”

Damian snorted, interrupting.  “A bit?”

Dick smirked, creating a little space between their bodies before they melted together.  “Well, in the grand scheme, yes.  We’re not the Menendez’s or the Borgia’s, but we’re not the Osmond’s or the Brady Bunch, either.  What was the point I was trying to make?”

Damian took a guess.  “That you think I have some mystical power that makes it possible for all of us to get along?”

Dick shook his head, “No, but close.  What I was trying to say is that if you are willing to give it a try, just for the sake of spending time with Bruce and trying to make him happy, it would go a long way towards actually making it happen.  Look what you’ve been able to accomplish so far.  You used to want to kill Tim.”

“Every now and then, I still do.”

“That’s okay, though, because most of the time, you don’t feel that way anymore.  You willingly spend time with him, as opposed to just tolerating his existence.  Look at what you’ve done with Jason.”

Damian looked confused, “What did I do to him?”

Dick smiled, “You convinced him that Bruce isn’t all that bad, after all.  Alfred and I have been telling him for years that he should give Bruce another chance.  He didn’t start coming around again until you talked to him.”

Damian looked a bit uncomfortable.  “I just thought it would be fun to have the both of us around to mess with Drake.”

“But you also thought of him as a brother before that.  You stuck up for Bruce to Jason before you were even willing to be in the same part of the house as Bruce, because you never stopped caring for him.  You wanted to see Bruce happy, even if you couldn’t do it yourself.  What do you have to say about that?”

“Elephants.”

Dick whipped his head around, a boyish grin splitting his face, as the gentle giants came into view.  Damian smiled gently at the man’s reaction to seeing his favorite creatures again.  Dick gave a contented sigh as he gazed at the family, lumbering around a watering hole built into the display.  The truck slowed down as the various tourists took picture after picture.  Dick was among them, as he did his best to fill the memory card of his camera phone with shots of the large grey creatures.

The truck finally moved on, and Dick gave another contented sigh.  He turned back to Damian, who had a contented smile of his own on his face.  “I didn’t think you were that into elephants.”

Damian shook his head, “I’m not, but you are.  Remember, I told you yesterday?  Making you happy makes me happy.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen you as happy as you were just now.”

Moving into the next display, Dick smiled and said, “I think this one will make you happy.”  He pointed out the side of the truck at a group of lions, lying in the sun.

A happy smile crossed the boy’s face as Dick leaned over to whisper in Damian’s ear.  “Not quite Alfred the Cat, but I think they’ll do.”

Damian nodded absently as he took his own pictures.  They would be used as references when he returned home and could do some drawings.  Idly, he thought he would go back and get some shots of the Tree of Life, for the same reason.

The Safari ended soon after, and both brothers were willing to go again, but the heat made a couple stops necessary first.  They got a snack and a couple bottles of water before Dick heard some muted screams.  Curious, they followed their ears until they reached Expedition Everest.  They got in line, not knowing what to expect, but figuring a train ride could do them both some good.

They hadn’t expected a roller coaster in the Animal Kingdom.  Since Dick hadn’t originally planned on visiting this park, he hadn’t looked into the available attractions.  This one was bigger and more exciting than any they had ridden the day before, which gave Dick great hopes for their next day’s adventures at the Disney Hollywood Studios.

Wandering again, they found themselves on a nature trail, following the sounds of a big cat.  Damian was in the lead as they worked their way around to a tiger habitat.  He stood in awe of the big cats, marveling at how bright their orange fur was.  He said in a low voice, “I’ve never seen tigers in person before.  They’re amazing.”

Dick leaned against the fence, taking in the animals, but was more focused on his brother.  _He’s happy,_ Dick thought, as he surreptitiously took a picture that showed Damian smiling contentedly and enjoying himself.  Quickly, he texted it to Bruce with the message, ‘ _Yes, I’m sure this was a good idea.’_

Moving along the trail again, they came to an area that seemed to be empty.  Dick said, “Huh.  Seems to be something missing here.”

“Yes, us,” Damian replied.

Dick gave a quizzical look before Damian pointed to the black forms hanging from the tree branches above their heads.  “We’re home,” the boy said.

Dick laughed at the flock of bats hanging above their heads.  He took several more pictures, all of which were sent to Bruce with the comment, ‘ _Feels just like home.’_

They stayed until Bruce texted back, ‘ _Glad you found some familiar company.’_   Dick laughed and showed the text to Damian, who chuckled as he scrolled back through the pictures.  He came across the shot of him, and held up the phone, saying, “What is this all about?”

Dick sighed, “Just letting Bruce know that you’re having a good time.  You _are_ having a good time, right?”

Damian looked back at the picture and said low, “You know, there was a time when finding this picture would have resulted in the destruction of your phone and an attempt on your life.  Now, well…yes, I’m having a good time.”  Damian sighed and handed the phone back to Dick.  “Go ahead.”

Dick looked strangely at Damian, “Go ahead, what?”

“No one is ever going to believe you when you tell them that I had fun here.  Go ahead and send the picture to Drake and Todd.”  Dick’s jaw dropped as Damian continued, “You’re going to send it anyway.  You might as well have my blessing for doing so.”

Dick smiled at his phone and said, “Maybe later, but you just gave me an idea.”

They wandered back to the giant tree, where Dick flagged down a passing employee.  He snatched Damian’s phone from his pocket and handed it to the employee, who took a picture of both brothers in front of the tree. 

Damian was looking at the picture while Dick whispered in his ear.  “Hi, Robin.  Thinking of you while at the Animal Kingdom.”

A slow smile crossed Damian’s face as he typed the message into a text to his girlfriend.  He sent the text with the picture, then winced.

“What’s wrong, Damian?”

“I should have waited to send that.  She’s still in school.”

Dick shrugged, “Well, if she’s smart, she has her phone on silent during class.”

Damian nodded.  “She is smart.  We need to send her another picture later, though.”

A smile crossed Dick’s face as he said, “Later?”

Damian blushed and said, “Yeah, from the water park.”

“Okay, but what exactly do you mean by ‘we’?  I mean, come on, you really think your girlfriend will even notice you in a swimsuit when you’re standing next to me in a swimsuit?”

Damian looked saddened for a minute before he pulled up the picture of Robin in a bikini again and said, “I think she’ll notice me.  When was the last time someone sent _you_ a picture like this in response to getting a shirtless picture of you?”

“Yeah, yeah.  Okay.  You win.  What’s next?”

Damian wiped sweat from his forehead before saying, “How about we go on that Safari again, then head to the water park?  I think it’s hotter today than it was yesterday.”

They took another trip around the Safari before stopping for lunch.  After lunch, they stopped by a gift shop, where Damian picked up a stylized drawing of the Tree of Life.

Dick smiled as the boy paid for the picture.  “Who is that for?”

Damian looked back up at the man and said, “Me.  That tree was amazing.  I wasn’t kidding when I said I want to come back and sketch it.  Find a way to make that happen, Grayson.”

Dick chuckled, “Sure, Little D.  I’ll work on that.”

After arranging to have his purchase sent to their room at the hotel, they took the Monorail over to Typhoon Lagoon.  They were glad to get out of the heat and into the air-conditioned single-rail train for the several minutes it took them to reach their destination.

Once there, as they waited in line to get into the water park, Dick noticed Damian looked a little nervous.  “You okay over there?”

Damian swallowed before saying, “So, um, what is the point of this place?”

Dick said patiently, “I told you, it’s a water park.  The idea is to splash around, swim a bit, go down some of the slides, and maybe see a cute girl while you’re there.”

Damian cocked his head in confusion, “Why would I want to do that?  I already have a girlfriend.”

“Why did you want that magazine the other day?  Looking isn’t cheating, Damian.  Sometimes you have to look, otherwise you might run into someone.  Besides, it’s only fair that you look.  I guarantee there will be plenty of girls looking at you.”

He mumbled, “They’re going to stare at my scars, aren’t they?”

Dick sighed, “I won’t lie to you; they might.  But Damian, it’s all a part of you.  It doesn’t matter how the scars got there, or who looks at them.  What matters is if you are comfortable in your own skin.  Be proud of who and what you are, Damian.  You have a lot to be proud of.  Every mark tells a story.  They might not be the best stories, but they all go into making up who you are.”

Dick lifted Damian’s phone from his pocket again, and pulled up the picture of Damian wearing only a towel and a smile.  He showed it to the boy, saying, “You were brave enough to send this picture to Robin, and it left her wanting more.  I would think that would be an ego booster for anyone.”

A small smile drew itself across Damian’s face as he remembered something from not so long ago.  “Drake seemed to like what he saw.”

Dick looked confused, “You sent the picture to Tim, too?”

“No.  When we were…at the school, we had a similar conversation about my scars.  I know he was just trying to distract me from my thoughts and keep me focused on our…task, but he told me I had a cute body.  I know he was just joking around, but it helped.  I…I guess I’ve never come to terms with, well, with what Mother did to me.”

Dick heaved a heavy sigh as he saw several unasked questions flash across Damian’s eyes.  There was no safe way to get into any of them at this point, and he hoped Damian realized that.  He placed a hand on Damian’s shoulder and asked, “Would you rather go back to the hotel and continue this train of thought, or stay here and check out the water park?  Or, would you rather check out the park, then go back to the room and talk?”

Damian took a deep breath.  They were next in line to get tickets to Typhoon Lagoon, so he said, “Well, we’re already here.  It seems like a shame to ruin what’s left of what has been a really good day so far.”

“I told you we could talk about anything you wanted or needed to.”

“I know, but I don’t need to anymore.  Maybe later…definitely later.  For now, you need to show me what this place is good for.”

Dick smiled as he paid for their tickets and led the boy inside the park to the changing room.  They got a locker and stripped down to their swimsuits.  Then, after Dick made sure they were sunscreened adequately, he started for the door.

Damian hung back, his arms crossed nervously over his chest.  Dick returned to the boy and said, “Are you coming?”

“I…I’m not the exhibitionist you are, Grayson.  I’m…”

Dick smiled, “It’s okay to be a bit nervous, Damian.  I know you’ve never done this before.  Look around.  No one else seems to be bothered by what’s going on.  Don’t think about it, and it won’t bother you.”

Damian took a deep breath and nodded at Dick.  They walked out of the changing room together and into the sunlight.

Damian stopped short as he heard a gasp.  He looked up and saw three teenaged girls openly staring at him as they walked past the changing room door.  Instantly self-conscious, Damian turned and looked for somewhere to hide.  There was nowhere other than returning to the changing room, but that would have involved running into Dick.

Instead, he mumbled at the man who had a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.  “They’re staring at my scars.”

Dick glanced at the three girls, who were obviously staring at the younger of the duo, then leaned down and whispered in Damian’s ear.  “Damian, I want you to trust me for a second.  I want you to look up and make eye contact with the girl in the middle, the dark-haired one.  Okay?”

Damian nodded slightly and looked up slowly.  He met the girl’s eyes and saw as her jaw sagged for an instant.  Dick’s voice was back in his ear, saying, “That girl doesn’t give a rat’s ass about your scars; she’s looking at you, all of you.  If I remember that look correctly, I can tell you that she likes what she sees.”

A gentle smile crossed the boy’s face, but his look morphed into mild shock when the girl’s friends had to drag her away.  _She…she had the same look that Robin tells me I get when I stare into her eyes.  Is Grayson right?  Am I blowing my scars all out of proportion?  Okay, so he’s right.  That only leads to another problem.  I don’t_ want _anyone but Robin.  I want her to look at me like that, not some stranger that I’ll never see again and couldn’t care less about.  She was kinda cute, though.  NO, don’t think like that, it’s not fair to Robin.  How do I get Robin to look at me like that?  Does she already look at me like that, and I just haven’t noticed because I’m too busy looking at her like that?_

“Earth to Damian.  Earth to Damian.  Come in, Damian.”

Damian snapped out of his thoughts as Dick mussed his hair and pulled him towards a water slide.  His face flushed as he said, “How long was I just standing there?”

“Long enough,” Dick said with a smile.  “You need to learn how to think while walking, otherwise people are going to start tripping over you.  Come to any earth-shattering conclusions?”

“Maybe.  You may have been right that the girl wasn’t staring at my scars.  I recognized the way she was staring at me, though.  It’s the same way I look at Robin.  That brings up a problem: how do I get Robin to look at me like that?”

_Good boy, starting to relax again,_ Dick thought.  “Well, if what Tim told me about your double date is true, she already does.  I think that if you stopped viewing yourself as the worst thing since sliced bread, you might see that you aren’t half as bad as you think you are.  Stop punishing yourself, and allow yourself to see the worth that the rest of us see.”

Damian gave Dick a light glare.  “ _The worst thing since sliced bread?_   Isn’t the phrase supposed to be _the best thing since sliced bread_?  And, isn’t it supposed to mean that something is good?”

“Now you’re catching on.”

Confused, Damian shook his head and said quietly.  “Maybe it’s like you and your status as my brother.”

“We talked about that last night and this morning.  I’m your brother whether you like it or not.”

Damian smiled despite himself, “I guess I like it.  What I meant, though, was I had to convince you of that.  You needed to lighten up on yourself and stop blaming yourself for something that no one else blamed you for.”

Dick caught the meaning, and asked softly, “What are you blaming yourself for, Damian?”

“For everything I’m guilty of,” Damian whispered.

They stood at the top of a massive waterslide.  Damian looked over the edge, and forgot about their previous conversation.  “Um, what exactly am I supposed to do now?”

Dick smiled at the meek tone in Damian’s voice.  “You lay down and slide.  Wait, have you ever been on a slide before?”

Damian shook his head, his eyes wide.  Dick patted his shoulder, “It’s fun, trust me.”

Damian looked doubtfully over the edge again and said, “Fun?  More like suicidal.  That must be fifty, sixty feet, almost straight down.”

“You want me to go first?”

Damian nodded nervously.  Dick patted his shoulder again and walked boldly up to the slide.  With a wink at his younger brother, Dick laid down, crossed his arms over his chest, and went over the edge, screaming in delight.

Damian’s jaw shook as the slide attendant motioned to Damian that it was his turn.  Trying his best to be brave, Damian imitated Dick’s actions before letting the water carry him away.  With his eyes squeezed tightly shut, the boy couldn’t help but scream as the weightless sensation caused his stomach to flip-flop.  He thought he was falling to his doom when the slide started to gently level out.  His back came back in contact with the smooth surface of the chute, and all too soon he was coming to a splashy halt in the splashdown area.  He lay there for a second until Dick grabbed his arms and pulled him up to his feet.

Damian cracked open an eye to see Dick smiling at him.  “See?  I told you it was fun.”

They walked away from the ride, Damian feeling relieved that he had survived, and a bit proud that he had done it at all.  He said softly, “I’ve parachuted out of planes.  I jump off of skyscrapers all the time.  I’ve climbed mountains without safety lines.  Why is it that _that_ made me nervous?”

Dick whispered in Damian’s ear, “Because I bet that none of the parachuting, jumping, or climbing was done in your skivvies.  Also, you’ve never done any of those activities for fun.  All of those were situations where your adrenaline was pumping, because after the jumping, climbing, and diving, you were expected to fight someone.  Your body recognized a tense situation, and responded in the only way it knew how, by triggering your sense of self-preservation.  Want to go again?”

Damian looked back up at the slide, as another person came screaming down the chute.  He shook his head, “I think once is enough for today.  We should really see what the other attractions are like.”

They walked on, before Dick pulled Damian off under the shade of a tree.  When they were relatively alone, Dick looked Damian in the eye and said softly, “Remember this, a soldier is not guilty for the actions he takes while following orders.  So long as the soldier doesn’t exceed his orders, then the fault lies with those giving the orders.  You only did what Talia and Ra’s ordered you to do, because you are a good soldier.  You had no other frame of reference to know whether your actions were just, or moral, or anything.  Yes, terrible things happened at your hand, but without those who ordered you to do them, they wouldn’t have happened.”

“That’s just it, though.  They did happen.  I can’t be blameless in that.”

“Would it ever have crossed your mind to say no to your mother?”

Damian thought for a second before saying, “No.”

“No, because she is your mother, and you trusted that she knew what was best.  You weren’t given an option to know anything but what she told you.  You are the only one blaming you for your actions.  You are the only one who can forgive you, as well.  Maybe it’s time you thought about doing that?”

Damian took several deep breaths, “But I did so many bad things, Grayson.”

“That may be, but they’re over now.  They’re done.  You aren’t doing them anymore.  You’ve turned your life around.  If you can impress Bruce _and_ Uncle Clark with your transformation, then maybe, just maybe, you’re finally headed down the right path.”

Damian looked down for a minute before glancing up and saying softly, “Father _and_ Kent are impressed with me?”

Dick smiled down at the boy as he led him away from their secluded spot.  “Quite a feather in your cap, but there is an even bigger one you’ve earned over the last few years.”

The brothers grabbed tubes and set out on the lazy river, floating and basking in the sun.  “Which one is that, Grayson?”

Dick held on to the handle of Damian’s tube, so they weren’t separated.  “You, dear boy, have won over the peerless judge of character, the incomparable Alfred Pennyworth.  If you can impress him, you deserve to cut yourself a little slack.”

They floated on for several minutes.  Dick thought Damian might have fallen asleep before the boy said, “Thank you, Grayson.  You were the first one to believe in me.  I don’t know what I did to deserve you rooting for me, but I hope I can earn what you’ve given me.”

Dick pulled Damian’s tube around so he could see the boy’s face.  “Ah, Ah.  We’re not having that conversation again.  We already covered it from one side, there is no reason to come at it from the other side.  I had to agree to let it go, now you have to do the same thing.”

Damian looked playfully at Dick as he said, “Or else what?”

“Or else, this.” Dick yanked on the handle of Damian’s tube, flipping the vinyl water toy and plunging the boy into the gentle current.  Dick looked around, expecting Damian to come up sputtering and calling foul.  Instead, the boy remained out of sight.  Dick was starting to get concerned when he felt two hands on his rear end shoving upwards forcefully.  Dick was ejected from his tube to land ignobly in the water.  He came up sputtering and laughing as he saw Damian standing in the middle of what used to be his conveyance around the lazy river.

Wiping water from his eyes, Dick was all smiles as he let the boy and tube catch up to him in the gentle current.  “Were you expecting me to do that?”

“I had an idea you might try something similar, Grayson.”  Damian shook his head, sending water droplets cascading from his shaggy hair.

Dick leaned back and let the current push him along as he floated on his back in the water.  Damian let the tube go and followed suit, holding on to Dick’s shoulder so that his lighter frame wasn’t pushed farther down the river.  Dick slowly inched the boy closer, until Damian’s head was almost on Dick’s shoulder.

“Are you finally enjoying yourself, Damian?  Is it okay for you to admit that now?”

Damian thought for a minute.  Despite the several times he had been too close to tears over the last couple days, and the way his past kept being dragged up to slap him around, he wouldn’t trade the last forty-eight hours for anything.  Being inexperienced in expressing himself made it hard to get the words out, but he forced himself.

“I…Well…I,” an encouraging squeeze to his shoulder was followed by a hand making its way to the back of his neck.  A gentle massage encouraged the boy to close his eyes and just let it out.  “I’m glad we’re here.  I’m glad I didn’t have you send me back to Gotham.  I am enjoying myself.  There is nowhere on Earth I would rather be right now.  It’s not okay for me to admit that now, though, because if I wasn’t so messed up, I would have been able to admit it from the start, and you might not have had to drug me to get me here.  By the way, you’re almost as good at that as Father is.”

Dick smiled as the boy purred out the last sentence.  “Finally figured out where I learned it from?  Did Bruce out me?”

The hand moved up to Damian’s scalp, and the boy nearly dunked his head under the water trying to press into the soothing grip.  “A couple days ago, we were having a moment.  It was nice; I didn’t want him to stop.”

“Why did he stop, if you didn’t want him to?”

Damian smiled, “We had to go pick you up from work.  You couldn’t be bothered to finish your work at the same time as Father, so we had to drive all the way back into town to get you.”

Dick chuckled, “Come on, I think it’s time to show you why I wanted us to come here today.”

The hand disappeared from Damian’s head, and the boy scowled sadly.  He followed Dick from the lazy river, realizing he was staring longingly at his brother’s hand.  He shook his head as Dick consulted a guide map.

“This way, brother.”

Dick led Damian to an out of the way pool.  There were a couple people around, but it was by far the least crowded place in the park.  Damian looked at the water and smiled as he saw the aquatic life present.

“Grayson, what is this?”  Damian’s voice held a note of wonder.

“The one thing I figured I wouldn’t have to talk you into.  The map calls it the Shark Reef.”

“Sharks?  Do we get to swim with sharks?”

Dick smiled widely at the excitement in Damian’s voice.  “Little ones.  They aren’t going to throw us in with something that’s going to be able to bite our legs off.  There are also stingrays and tropical fish to swim with.  Shall we?  We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Damian looked like he was going to punch Dick for even suggesting that they not go in.  “No, I want to,” the boy chirped quickly.

“Are you sure,” Dick asked with a Cheshire grin.

“Grayson, please.  Can we do it, please?”

Dick laughed at how unaccustomed Damian was to begging.  “Oh, okay.  We’re here, we might as well.”

Damian broke out into a huge smile and hugged Dick, “Thank you, Grayson.”

A dive master approached the brothers as they waited their turn.  “Howdy.  Well, it looks like you two will have the lagoon all to yourselves for the next fifteen minutes.  The last group just left.  Have either of you snorkeled before?”  Both brothers answered affirmatively, and the dive master smiled, “Good.  Let’s just get you your equipment and we’ll get you on your way.”

They were given masks and fins and allowed into the reef.  Damian quickly made his way to the middle of the lagoon, Dick content to follow where the boy led.  They floated for several minutes, just looking at the sea life.  Damian was keeping a sharp eye out, but it was still a shock when he saw his first shark.  He gestured excitedly, pointing underwater at the animal.  He didn’t wait for Dick to acknowledge him before he took a deep breath and dived down to get closer to the fish.

The shark swam placidly along, and Damian was careful not to get too close to the territorial creature.  He was captivated by the sleek lines of the powerfully compact body, and wondered just how close he could get before being in danger.

He found his answer in a most unexpected way.  While he was watching the first shark, and wishing he could hold his breath for longer, a second shark swam past his right side, coming within five feet of the boy.  Startled, he returned to the surface for fresh air.

Dick was bobbing on the surface when Damian popped up next to him, gulping air and smiling widely.  “Did you see that, Grayson?  There were two of them.  The second one was right next to me.  Did you see it?”

_It really is a shame that Bruce isn’t here,_ Dick thought, _he’s never going to believe me when I tell him that Damian is this excited._   “I saw them.  That wasn’t scary for you?”

“That wasn’t scary; that was awesome.  Come with me, let’s go back down.”

Without waiting for an answer, Damian took another deep breath and dove back down several feet.  Dick arrived at his side a second later, and they watched as the two sharks split the water side by side for close to a minute.  One shark finally swam away after a while, and the other went into the reef, possibly looking for a snack.

Dick tapped Damian’s shoulder and gave him a sign to surface.  They ascended together and bobbed on the surface for a second before either of them could speak.

“Wow.  This was worth the whole trip, Grayson.  Robin will never believe me when I tell her I swam with sharks.”

Dick smiled, “Bruce is never going to believe that you were this excited about something.”

Damian’s look subdued a bit.  “Then he should have been here to see it.  We have to come back here sometime with Father, Grayson.  It’s not fair that we’re here while he’s sitting in his stuffy office, working.  He needs to do something like this, with us.  Do you think we could convince him to come with us next time?  It doesn’t even need to be here, we just need to do more things together.  Things that don’t involve boardrooms or Batarangs.”

“What are you saying, Damian?”

Damian looked conflicted before plowing ahead, “I don’t want a partner.  I don’t want a group of strangers living under one roof.  I want a father, and I want it to be Father.  I want a family.  You said Father had his taken away, and he got us to replace it.  I never had a real family.  I want to know what that’s like.  We don’t have to be normal; I doubt any of us will ever be considered normal; but we can do normal things.  We can take trips, and spend time together without a city-wide crisis.  Isn’t that what families do?”

Dick took hold of Damian’s hand under the water.  “If I’d known what it took to get you to want to say what you just said, I would have put a shark in the pool a long time ago.  Yes, that is what families do, but remember, you don’t have to give up your partner to have a father, any more than you need to give up your Father to have a partner.  They are different sides of the same person.”

Damian squeezed Dick’s hand, understanding what he was saying.  “Thank you, Grayson.  I…I understand what you’ve been trying to tell me.  Is…is this something that Father would ever consider doing?”

The dive master was waving them in, and as they swam to shore, Dick said, “It’s something that obviously makes you happy, and there is a hint of danger to it.  Bruce would love it.”

They turned in their masks and fins and walked back to the water park.  It held less luster for the both of them after their bonding and breakthrough of just a few minutes prior.  Dick checked a clock and found that there was only an hour left before the water park’s closing time of 5pm.

“There is another hour before the water park closes, Damian.  Is there anything else you want to do here?”

Damian looked at his brother, then back at the slides and pools, before saying, “I think we should get a jump on the crowds.  Let’s get dried off and go back to the room.  I had a great time today, Grayson, but I need to make a phone call.”

Dick gave a warm smile as they headed for the changing room.  “I thought you might.”

The boys were soon changed and ensconced on the Monorail, heading back to the hotel.  Damian leaned against Dick’s shoulder and gave a mighty yawn.  Dick nudged him gently and said, “You know, we never took that picture you wanted to send to Robin.”

Damian frowned, “No, we didn’t.  I think I’m okay with that, though.  I love her, but that would just be teasing.”

Dick smirked, “You finally came to the realization that she wouldn’t have seen you in the picture if you were next to me?”

Another yawn split Damian’s face as he said, “Whatever you want to tell yourself, Grayson.  I’m just wondering why it’s so important to you to be attractive to my fourteen year old girlfriend.”

Dick laughed, “Well, when you say it that way, it’s just creepy.”

Dick and Damian heard a soft groan from the other side of the train car.  They both looked over and saw the three girls from earlier in the afternoon.  They had just overheard that Damian already had a girlfriend, and at least the dark-haired girl was not too happy about it.

Dick leaned down and whispered in Damian’s ear, “Told you she wasn’t looking at your scars.”

Damian smiled, laid his head on Dick’s shoulder, and closed his eyes.

_The Next Day…_

Dick was awakened early in the morning, hearing water running in the bathroom.  He thought nothing of it, and rolled over to try to get back to sleep.  Glancing at the window, he noticed that the sun had only just started to rise.  He figured he could get another two hours of sleep before Damian would be coherent enough to think about starting the day.  _He probably won’t even remember using the bathroom, the way that boy sleeps_ , Dick thought with a smile.

Dick was almost asleep again when he was nearly launched from his bed.  Damian, who was far more awake than Dick realized, had taken a running start from the door of the bathroom, and launched himself in the air.  He hit exactly what he aimed for, a spot a foot and a half away from Grayson’s back.  The resultant bounce had sent the older man grasping at his sheets in order to stay in his bed, instead of letting himself be bounced into Damian’s currently empty bed.

Still holding on as he turned with wide eyes to face the youth, he found Damian sitting in the middle of the bed with a satisfied grin on his face.

“Good morning, Grayson.  I see you’re up.”

His mind still trying to catch up with events, Dick gave a light glare before saying, “Who are you and what have you done with my brother?”

Damian leaned forward slightly and said, “I came to a conclusion last night, Grayson.  People like you, because you’re happy all the time.  I don’t think I can manage being happy all the time, but I think I can manage short periods of happiness.  I realized that I displayed several of those periods yesterday, and I managed to survive unscathed.  It wasn’t even that difficult or painful.  So, I’ve decided to try happy…at least for a while.”

Dick was still looking strangely at the boy as he repeated, “Who are you and what have you done with my brother?”

The grin began to slip from Damian’s face as he mumbled, “I…I thought you would like that.  I thought that would make you happy.”

Dick took a deep breath as he sat up.  “It does make me happy, but don’t you think it’s a bit sudden?”

Damian nodded slowly, “I did, but then I realized that you were right.  I’m not the same person I was three years ago.  It’s time I stopped thinking like the person I was three years ago.  I don’t always have to think the worst, but I’m going to need help, Grayson.”

“I’ll be glad to help you in any way I can, Damian, but I have a question for you first.”

“Okay.”

Dick leaned towards the boy a bit.  “Do you know what Bruce would have done if I had done what you just did?”

Damian cocked his head, “You mean jumping onto the bed?” Dick nodded.  Damian shrugged, “Given how much you weighed when you were when you were my age, he probably wouldn’t even have felt it.”

“No, he would have done this.”  The grin that came across Dick’s face was mostly hidden by the dim light in the room.  As such, Damian didn’t know he was in danger until it was too late.  Quick as a flash, Dick pounced on his brother, knocking the boy to his back on the bed while straddling his stomach.  He attacked the boy’s ribs with tickling fingers, causing the one unaccustomed to laughter to send forth giggles like a pro.  Damian tried to fend his older brother off, but every defensive move he made seemed to open up a new gap in his defenses for Dick to exploit.

Finally, with Damian gasping for air while his cheeks hurt from smiling, Dick stopped and rolled off of his brother.  They both lay, staring at the ceiling, trying to catch their breath.  Dick gasped out, “That’s what your father would have done.”

Dick felt the bed bounce a bit as Damian crawled over.  He snuggled in under Dick’s arm, his cheeks still flushed from the tickle assault he had just survived.  “He would have done that to you.  What would he have done to me?”

It was a perfectly valid question, and unfortunately, one that probably would not give the answer the boy was looking for.  Dick sighed, “If you were to try it when we get home, he would probably be pretty mad.  If he were here instead of me, and had seen the changes in you over the last few days, I would hope his reaction would be the same as mine.”

Damian laid his head on Dick’s shoulder and said, “If he were here instead of you, the changes you’ve seen might not have happened.”

Dick was silent for a moment, thinking.  _I was so wrong to doubt that he had truly forgiven me.  He just said that he feels comfortable enough around me to let his guard down and show me the Damian that truly lives underneath.  I hope he can keep even a little of that when we get home.  Gotham is really only good for grinding people down, not helping build them up._   “I’d like to think that you two would be able to make some progress.  You two are doing so well lately.  Just keep it up, and who knows how far you can go together.”

Damian didn’t respond, but he snuggled even closer as Dick’s arm came up to wrap around Damian’s shoulders.  “Do me a favor, Damian.  Try to show Bruce at least a little of what you’ve chosen to show me when we get home, okay?  Don’t let this transformation be just for me.”

Damian sighed, “I will try.  I meant what I said yesterday; I want a father.  It may take some time, but I will let him see me happy.  It will make him happy to see that, won’t it?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.  Now, shut up and go back to sleep,” Dick said through a massive yawn.

_Later…_

Damian awoke to find his favorite brother staring at him while running his fingers softly through his hair.  The soft smile sent his way caused a matching one to sprout on Damian’s lips.  They stared at each other openly for several minutes before Dick’s stomach started grumbling.

“Well, I guess we know what the first item on today’s itinerary is,” Damian said with a smirk.

Dick nodded.  “Yes, we do, and for that, we have a choice.  We can either order room service again, or we can go have breakfast in the park.”

Dick tried to roll away, but Damian refused to allow him to remove his arm from under the boy.  “Which park are we going to today, Grayson?”

Dick grinned as he realized that Damian didn’t want to get up yet.  He patted the boy’s cheek with his free hand and lay back, putting his arm underneath his head, “I thought we would try the Hollywood Studio today.  Sound good to you?”

Damian shrugged, “I guess.  Eating in the park sounds good to me, we can get out there and take our time, instead of having to rush eating here in order to make the train.”

Both brothers were staring at the ceiling with their arms crossed under their heads as Dick said, “Sounds good to me, Little D.  Do you want to get up now, or do you want me to tickle you some more?”

Damian hesitated in answering, causing Dick to sit up with an ear to ear grin.  “You really _do_ want me to tickle you, don’t you?  I knew there was a child hidden in there somewhere.”

Dick reached over with one hand, and Damian rolled out of reach, saying, “No, no!  I’ll get up.”

Damian stood, grinning at his brother.  Dick matched the grin and said, “In all seriousness, Damian.  You really should laugh more.  You have a nice laugh.  Just think how much better it could be if you broke it in some more.  And smiling is definitely something I want to see more of out of you.  Bruce pays our dentist a lot of money, you should show off his work every now and then.”

“I’ll consider it, Grayson.”

Dick nodded, “You consider, I’ll tickle.”

Half an hour later, Dick and Damian made their way back onto the Monorail and headed to Hollywood Studios.  There were smiles to be found on the faces of both Dick and Damian, and for once, Dick thought the specter of their collective pasts was behind them.

Walking through the front gates, the first thing Damian said was, “Are we going to stay in this park all day?”

Dick shrugged, “As far as I know.  I didn’t plan anything else for today, if that’s what you mean.  Why do you ask?”

“This park just feels smaller than the others did.”

“Doesn’t mean there will be less to do here,” Dick said with a smile.

Looking at the map they grabbed at the front gate, Dick and Damian found a problem in their plan.  Like almost all Disney parks, The Hollywood Studio is sorely lacking in restaurants serving breakfast.  They ended up with coffee and pastries, and sat at an outdoor bistro to eat and plan their attack on the park.

“You know,” Damian said around the Danish he was chewing on, “a lot of the attractions in this park seem to be shows, instead of rides.”

Dick sipped at his coffee and asked, “Is that okay?”

Damian thought for a second before shrugging, “I guess so.  I mean, some of them sound interesting.  There seems to be a lot of stuff connected to something called Frozen, though.  What is that?”

Dick stared blankly at his brother before shaking his head.  “I really shouldn’t be surprised by that question.  It was only the biggest movie of last year…but you didn’t see it, did you?”

“Never heard of it, Grayson.  Was it any good?”

Dick shrugged, “Babs made me take her to see it five times.”

“ _Made_ you?”  Damian gave his brother a sly smile, knowing that the more likely explanation was that Dick had begged Barbara to go with him, so he didn’t feel too out of place singing along with a Disney musical in the middle of a group of girls younger than Damian.  “You didn’t answer my question, though.  Was it any good?”

“Yeah, it was good.  It was basically The Lion King, except no talking animals, and more ice and snow.”

“Well, I would hope so, since they called it Frozen.”

Dick smiled, remembering the film.  “There was a cute living snowman.  You’d like it.  You know what, when we get home, we’re watching it.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “Are you sure you aren’t a teenage girl, Grayson?”

Dick looked slyly at Damian and asked, “You’re dating a teenage girl.  How have you never heard of Frozen?”

“Just lucky, I guess.”  Damian’s phone buzzed in his pocket.  He pulled it out and saw Robin’s picture on the screen.  He smiled as he showed the screen to Dick.  “Speaking of teenage girls.”

He answered the call with a smile on his face.  “Good morning, Robin.”

A high pitched squeal nearly deafened Damian, while causing Dick to flinch from across the table.  “Oh my god, Damian.  I love it.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Damian’s smile grew.  “You got the necklace?  Good.  I was wondering how long it would take to get there.  I sent it overnight, but you can’t trust the Post Office.”

Robin continued gushing, “I love Mickey and Minnie.  The pendant is perfect.  Why didn’t you tell me you were going to Disney World before you left, though?”

Damian looked at Dick and said, “It was kind of a spur of the moment thing.”

“No one just goes to Disney World on the spur of the moment.  It takes planning.”

“I know, and there was planning, but it was a surprise for me.  An end of school gift from my brother.”

Robin sounded confused, “You’ve been out of school for weeks, though.”

Damian smiled, “I know, but like you said, it takes time to plan these things.  So…do you like it?”

Damian could hear the smile in her voice, “Damian, I love it.  We’ve never talked about anything like this.  How did you know I like Disney?  How did you know I like silver better than gold?”

“I just saw it in the shop window.  It looked like something you would like.  As for the metal preference, it only came in silver.  Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you wear gold jewelry, so that must have stuck in my mind.”

Damian could hear a voice mumbling in the background before Robin sighed.  “I’m sorry, Damian, but I have to go.  We’re going to see my grandparents.  When are you coming home?”

“Sunday or Monday, I’m not sure yet.”

“Call me when you get home.”

_Like I would do anything else,_ Damian thought.  “I will.  I would love to see a picture of what the necklace looks like when you’re wearing it.”

A devious tone entered Robin’s voice, “Are you going to draw me like one of your French girls?”

Confused and oblivious to the reference, Damian said, “They only had us doing landscapes in France.  We didn’t get into portraiture.”

Robin giggled and said, “When you figure out what that means, I’ll be waiting.  Have fun, Damian.”

“I’ll try.  Bye, Robin.”

Damian hung up, pondering the meaning of her remark.  Dick spoke up, “So…did she like it?”

“Sure sounds like she does.”

“Then what has you so confused?  I know that expression.”

Damian sighed, “When I asked her to send me a picture of her wearing the necklace, she asked if I was going to ‘draw her like one of my French girls’, whatever that means.”

Dick sputtered and nearly choked on the coffee he was sipping.  Coughing and spitting, Dick asked, “I take it you haven’t seen the movie Titanic?”  Damian shook his head, his eyes wide.  Dick continued, “When you do, we’ll have a long talk.  Just know, I think Robin is trying to say she’s ready to move faster.”

A pleased smile crossed Damian’s face.  “Why don’t we watch that, instead of Frozen, when we get home?”

Dick cocked his head at his younger brother and said, “Because I can already see your hormones flaring.  Okay, we’ll watch that, but Bruce is going to watch it with us.”

“Why, does he like that movie?”

“No, because that is the kind of talk that needs to happen between a father and a son.  Come on, let’s go ride something, before you need a cold shower.”

With new and interesting thoughts running through the boy’s mind, Dick led them across the park to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.  At first, Damian scoffed at the name, declaring he had seen numerous episodes of the Twilight Zone, and hadn’t been scared by any of them.

“True,” Dick said, “It’s not as scary as Twilight, but at least it makes you think.”

Damian huffed, “Why is everyone talking in movie references today?  Can we at least try to keep it to something I’ve seen?”

“Believe me, you aren’t missing anything by not seeing Twilight.  Sparkly vampires are just wrong.  You have no idea how much I want those two hours of my life back.”

Once on the ride, Damian began getting a very ‘Haunted Mansion’ vibe.  Had the car allowed it, he would have slid closer to Dick.  As it was, they were strapped into their individual seats.  A second later, Damian was very happy for that, when the ersatz elevator car began shooting up and down in the elevator shaft.  He didn’t mind the up and down so much, but it was a little unnerving when the side of the building opened, and they could see out into the park.  It was like the ride was teasing them with where they could be, instead of being shot up and down at the whim of the ride controller.

Dick and Damian were both a bit shaky when they got off the ride, but both found it enjoyable, and Dick could tell that it had the desired effect of getting Damian’s mind off of his girlfriend’s body.  They headed over to the Rock ‘N Roller Coaster, neither knowing quite what to expect with the ride.  Damian thought it was going to be a cutesy ride when they loaded into the limousine-styled ride vehicle, and as such, didn’t believe the ride operator when she told them to hold on tight.

They were shot through the darkened ride building at speeds neither brother was expecting.  The numerous inversions and twists set to the dulcet tones of Aerosmith left ear to ear grins on the faces of Dick and Damian.  For the first time in their entire stay at Disney World, Damian said enthusiastically, “Let’s do that again!”

Again they went, and again they both whooped and yelled at the exciting ride.  Dick couldn’t believe what he was hearing from the boy.  _Okay, now I’m thinking we need to move to Florida.  I don’t want to see this Damian disappear when we get home, even though he will.  It’s not fair that my brother won’t smile nearly as much in a week’s time as he is today.  There has to be some way to keep this going._

Damian nudged Dick and said, “Hey, we had a deal.  No more of the heavy stuff.  That ride was awesome, why are you frowning?”

The smile returned to Dick’s face, “Just thinking, that’s all.”  _Just enjoy it while you have it, Dick._

The smile started to slip from Damian’s face, as he figured out what Dick was thinking about.  “I already promised to try to be happier when we get home, Grayson.  I don’t want to waste it all here.  We need happy a lot more in Gotham than we do here.  They supply it here.  At home, they drain it from you.  You and I need to stock up as much as we can if we’re going to be able to make a difference at home.”

“Even if we can just brighten up the Manor a bit, it will be worth it,” Dick agreed.

“Agreed, so let’s go get some more.”

Dick ruffled Damian’s hair, “You want to go on it _again_?”

Damian looked back at the line for the roller coaster and said, somewhat reluctantly, “Maybe later.”

They wandered until Dick stopped in front of a building.  Looking up at the sign, he smiled over at Damian and said, “Maybe this will convince you.”

Damian read the sign, then cocked his head at Dick, asking, “Convince me of what?”

Dick leaned closer and said with a smile, “That Walt Disney wasn’t an alien.”

They entered Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream, and the scowl on Damian’s face turned into guarded interest.  He actually found the displays chronicling Walt Disney’s life to be quite interesting and enjoyable, but he was still unused to displaying his emotions.  In the end, the best he could do was a sickly, forced smile.

He hoped it was enough, but apparently it wasn’t, because the smile on Dick’s face dimmed a bit every time he glanced over at Damian’s expression.  When they had seen the entire exhibit, they left, and Dick sighed sadly.

Dick leaned against a nearby railing and rubbed his eyes.  Concerned, Damian asked, “What’s wrong, Grayson?”

“Damian, I want you to stop doing things just because you think it will please me.  If you don’t want to do something, just speak up.  Bruce and I both told you from the start not to put yourself through something you don’t want to do just to make me happy.”

Confused again, Damian asked, “Where did this come from?  I’m having fun.”

“That isn’t the look of someone who’s having fun, Damian.  That’s the look of someone who is tolerating something, and just barely.”

Damian was quiet for a minute, thinking about how to convince Dick that he really was enjoying himself.  “Father tells me that I’ve picked up many of the Wayne traits.  A propensity for hiding emotions, naturally, is one of those traits.  I…I’ve done it for so long, my whole life really, that I have to concentrate to be able to turn it off.  I’m not as open as you are, Grayson.  I think you know that.  I don’t just naturally smile.  Unfortunately, when I try, what you saw is how it comes out.”

Dick sighed again, “So, you were forcing yourself to have fun just now?”

“No,” Damian placed a hand on Dick’s crossed arms, “but I was forcing myself to try to show it.  I really did like it, Grayson.”

Dick met Damian’s eyes for several seconds, reading honesty in the gaze.  He shook his head and said, “I’m sorry, Damian.  It’s just…you had this nice, natural smile for most of the morning.  You had it yesterday, too.  It went away, and got replaced by that…that false smile.  Don’t try so hard, if that’s what trying did.  You were doing fine when you weren’t thinking about enjoying yourself.  You were just doing it.”

Damian took a step and a half closer to Dick, the toes of their shoes touching, and looked up into Dick’s face.  “I’m sorry, Grayson.  I’ll try to not try so hard.”

A small smile came to Dick’s face, and he pulled Damian in for a quick hug.  “You do that.  I’ll be right back, I need to get rid of that last cup of coffee.”

Damian sat on a bench in the shade as he waited for Dick.  _I guess I should practice smiling more.  It seems like my attempts to try a natural smile failed dramatically.  He said I was smiling ‘naturally’ after we got off the roller coaster.  How did I do that?  Robin says I do that when I’m with her, too.  Is that the secret?  Do I need to be around something that excites me?  Can I replicate it by just thinking about her, or about the ride?_

Damian looked up some time later, and found Dick standing in front of him, staring.  Blushing, Damian asked, “How long this time?”

Dick shook his head, trying not to laugh, “At least a minute.  Where do you go when you get lost in your mind like that?”

Damian stood, “Like you said, lost.”

“Fine, don’t tell me.  Where to next?”

Damian pointed across the way and said, “How about the Toy Story Mania?  You like Toy Story.”

Dick smiled and said, “I do, and do you know _why_ I like Toy Story?”

Damian looked up at his brother and answered in a questioning tone, “Because…you’ve got a friend in me?”

Dick’s smile grew by leaps and bounds as he threw an arm around Damian’s shoulder.  “You know, that’s why I love you, Little D.  You remember things that mean so little at the time, yet mean so much later on.  Let’s see what it is in there, okay?”

They got on the ride, and the natural smile returned to Damian’s face as he said, unnecessarily, “It’s a video game on a ride!  High score gets to choose the next ride.”

“You’re on.”

Both brothers were laughing and competing for the length of the attraction.  Their fiercely competitive streaks, which Bruce had secretly ingrained in both of them, shone brightly.  In the end, Dick won by the narrowest of margins.  It didn’t really matter to either of them, though, because they were having fun.

“Well, Grayson.  You won, fair and square.  What’s next?”

Dick looked at the park map and shot an evil look at Damian.  “The Frozen sing-along isn’t for another half hour.  How about lunch, while we wait?”

Damian rolled his eyes, but ate they did.  After their late meal, Dick led Damian to an open air auditorium that looked nothing like what the boy was expecting for the Frozen sing-along.  What Dick actually took his brother to see was the Indiana Jones stunt show.  They were delighted to see the stunts, learn a bit about how movies are made, and see stuff blow up.

“That was cool, Grayson, but I think you missed your sing-along.”

Dick smirked, “That’s okay.  I have the soundtrack in the car.  We can listen to it the whole way home; all sixteen hours of the drive.”

Damian looked slightly scared.  He couldn’t tell if Dick was joking or not.  _I guess I owe him that much for this trip.  I can stand it, for him._

Again, the brothers found themselves wandering around the shops, looking for gifts for their family back home.  Damian grew more and more worried.  He had seem countless pieces of merchandise, but nothing seemed right for his Father or Drake. 

After leaving the fourth store they checked, Damian sighed.  Dick patted his back and said, “Talk to me.”

“Nothing seems right.  Why is it so hard to find something that Father would like?”

Dick gave Damian a sympathetic look.  “’What do you get for the man who has everything’ is a very old question, and a very difficult one to answer.  It doesn’t help that you’re judging your own self-worth on your ability to find something for the most important person in your life.  It _really_ doesn’t help that you are thinking Bruce will love you less if he doesn’t like whatever you pick out for him.”

“Not helping!” Damian turned and snapped at Dick.

The older man smiled and ruffled Damian’s hair.  “Relax, little brother.  Once again, you’re trying too hard.  Think about the necklace you got for Robin.”

“Father doesn’t wear jewelry, except for a watch.”

Dick shook his head, “What I meant is, you’ll know it when you see it.  You weren’t looking for the necklace when you found it, you just did.  It will be the same with the other gifts.”

Damian rolled his eyes at, what he thought, was less than helpful advice.  Then, he turned his head and saw a store with an art gallery.  Ignoring Dick, Damian walked off and entered the store.

Dick gave him a minute before following, letting the boy peruse the selection on his own.  He thought that if Damian was able to think alone for a minute, it may help the thought process.  Apparently, it did.  When Dick entered the shop, he found Damian standing and staring, transfixed, at a framed lithograph of the family from The Incredibles, standing in their super suits.

“It’ll definitely brighten up his office, but don’t you think he might be a bit wary in displaying something like that, given his nightly hobbies?”  Dick asked as he approached behind the youth.

Absently, Damian replied, “I wasn’t thinking of displaying it in Father’s office.  I was thinking about the entry hallway of Drake’s apartment.  He has that big, empty wall.  I think this would go nicely there.”

Dick looked at the picture again, imagining it where Damian described it.  A slow smile worked its way across Dick’s face as he gripped Damian’s shoulders with both hands.  “See?  You’re getting the knack of this picking gifts for people business.  He’ll love it.  How did you know that The Incredibles was Timmy’s favorite Disney movie?”

Damian looked up at Dick and asked, “It is?”

“It is.”

“I didn’t know that, but I’m glad you think he’ll like it.”  Damian went off to find an employee to finalize his purchase, a new lightness in his step as he felt, for once, like he was doing something right.  Again, Damian had the purchase sent to their room at the Contemporary hotel, and left to continue their day.

When Damian had completed his purchase, he looked around to find himself alone in the store.  A completely unfamiliar feeling of loss took over the boy for a second.  He was unsure if he should stay put, or go looking for Grayson.  Still undecided, Damian walked to the door of the shop and looked around.  Nothing but unfamiliar faces met his ever-increasingly worried expression.

A whistle caught his attention, and Damian whipped his head in the direction of the noise.  In the shade of another store across the way, Damian thought he saw Grayson standing in a line.  Damian tried not to show his relief, but the sigh he released could be heard across the store.

Stalking over, Damian glared at Dick and said, “Now, if I’d wandered away like that, you would be yelling at me.  What do you have to say for yourself, Grayson?”

Dick smiled widely and said, “Sorry, Father.  I keep forgetting that you aren’t really capable of paying attention to more than one thing at a time.  I thought you saw me walk away, or heard me when I said I was coming over here.”

“You didn’t say anything, Grayson.”

Dick shook his head, “I thought you were better at paying attention than that.”

Dick laid his purchases on the counter, and Damian looked for the first time at what he was getting.  “A fedora and a whip?  Somehow, I can’t see Pennyworth wearing the hat.”

Dick looked down at his brother as he handed over his credit card to the cashier.  “…But the whip doesn’t seem out of place to you?”

“I’m sure there have been many times in the past where he has wished for one in dealing with us.”

Dick giggled lightly, “They’re for Jason, Damian.”

Damian considered the purchases and cocked his head as Dick took the bag from the smiling employee.  “Gag gifts?”

“No.”

Damian shrugged, “Whatever, Grayson.  You know him far better than I do.”

Dick patted Damian’s shoulder as they walked from the store and headed for Star Tours.  “He takes a while to get to know.  I’m sure you’ve noticed that he has been more open to communication with you lately.”

“He has?”

“His outer shell is almost as tough as yours, but serious cracks are showing where you’re concerned.  Jason is almost as desperate for a family as you are.”

Damian scowled as they walked under the large Imperial Walker outside of the attraction.  He couldn’t make a reply to Dick’s remark, because it was true.  Still, it annoyed him that Dick could read him as well as he could.  It wasn’t that he was trying to keep secrets, it was just that Damian still thought any sign of weakness he showed would be interpreted badly by his Father.  _Family shouldn’t be a weakness, but there are so many emotions wrapped up in that word, family.  I don’t think Father minds emotions as much as Mother did, but he still doesn’t show too many.  Maybe this is one area where I shouldn’t take after him?_

Damian sighed, no closer to alleviating his discomfort.  Dick didn’t need to ask what was wrong.  To him, it was like the internal monologue the boy just had with himself was written in his eyes.  Instead, as they waited for their turn in the Starspeeder 1000, Dick moved behind the boy and wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

Settling his chin on Damian’s head, Dick murmured, “It’s not a weakness.”

Damian didn’t reply as they loaded into their ride vehicle motion simulator.  Instead, he reached up and gripped Dick’s forearm for a second, as if to say ‘I think I understand’.

They strapped themselves in, and Damian leaned over and whispered, “I’m trying, Grayson.”

Dick had made sure to hold a screening of Episode Seven when it came out on Blu-Ray for Tim and Damian, since they hadn’t been able to see it in theaters together.  Losing a chance for a fun civilian outing with his youngest brothers was just one more thing Dick had to curse Two Face for.

That notwithstanding, both brother’s expressions had returned to smiles by the time they exited the ride, into the Star Wars themed gift shop.  As they looked around, Dick turned Damian around and looked into his eyes and said seriously, “You’re not trying, Damian.  You’re _doing,_ and you’re doing better than you think.”

Damian blushed and mumbled a ‘thank you’.  Walking around, Damian picked up a small, die cast R2-D2 with a smile.  Dick smiled as well, “You going to get that?  I thought you were more of a BB-8 fan.”

Damian considered the thought.  He had spent most of their viewing of The Force Awakens smiling at the antics of the small, round droid.  Apparently, he hadn’t hidden it as well as he thought.

The boy picked up a small, die cast BB-8, and held them up next to each other.  After a minute, he looked at Dick and said, “I’m getting them both.  The R2-D2 is for Drake.  He can put it on his desk in his office, or something.”

Dick smiled, “He’ll like that…” Dick trailed off with a gasp and walked over to a rack displaying stuffed Ewoks.  Picking one up, he sighed contentedly and remembered back to when Alfred had bought him one as a way to cheer him up when his birthday trip to Disneyland had taken a turn for the worse.

Damian walked up to the display a little more slowly than his older brother.  He looked at the stuffed alien in Dick’s hands and said, “Don’t you already have one of those, or is that for Todd, too?”

Dick turned to Damian and said, “Hold this for a second?”

Damian shrugged and took the plush creature from Dick.  As childish as it was, he couldn’t stop himself from holding it up and examining it.  Dick looked at him critically as Damian looked back up at Dick with a raised eyebrow.

Dick took it back and headed for the cashier, Damian following in his wake.  “I do already have one, and now, so do you.  You would never buy it for yourself, so I have to.  Before you protest, it’s not a stuffed animal, it’s a family tradition.  You can’t say no to family traditions.”

Damian blinked a couple times as he thought about it.  _I don’t think I particularly want to say no to this tradition.  I wonder why that is?_   “Um…well, if its tradition…um, thank you, Grayson.”

Dick smiled as he took the bag from the cashier.  Damian made his purchase, and they walked out into the late afternoon sun.  A breeze was picking up, bringing in some thick clouds from the east.  They didn’t look particularly dark, but the temperature was already starting to drop in anticipation of the evening.

Damian looked up with a frown.  “Do you think it will rain, Grayson?”

Dick groaned, “The weatherman said it was a possibility.  It’s been so hot, though.  I didn’t think we would have to worry about it.”

A fat drop landed in the middle of Damian’s forehead.  He wiped it away as Dick smiled.  “I guess that answers my question.”

Dick gave an involuntary yawn as he said, “What do you want to do, Damian?”

Rain sprinkles started to become more consistent than the occasional drop as Damian considered their options.  _Grayson looks tired.  We have been almost constantly on the go since we got here.  We can slow down a bit._   “I assume this place doesn’t close just for the rain?”

“As far as I know.”

Damian looked around.  After studying the map, there were a few attractions he genuinely wanted to see, but he didn’t want to get soaked doing it.  “If we’re going to get wet, we might as well go back and swim with the sharks again.  Since that isn’t really an option, since we’re here instead of there, I say we find something indoors to do.”

“What did you have in mind?” Dick asked with another yawn.

“Over here.”  Damian led Dick to The Great Movie Ride, where they were able to sit indoors while learning a bit about the movies and the moviemaking process.

They left the attraction when their experience was finished.  Neither one had the ear to ear grins of earlier in the day, when they went on the thrill rides, but both looked oddly satisfied.  They had enjoyed themselves on a mental level, instead of an adrenal level.

Damian got an odd look on his face and walked towards an auditorium.  They sat in the back to rest for a minute before Damian said, “I’m going to get us some popcorn, wait here.”

“It’s getting kinda close to dinner, Damian.  I’m not sure I really want any popcorn right now.  Are you planning on another gorging, like at the Magic Kingdom the other day?”

Damian shook his head and said, “Wow, you must really be tired, Grayson.  You aren’t listening.  I didn’t ask you if you wanted popcorn, I told you I’m getting us popcorn.  And yes, I’m pretty hungry, so a gorging, as you called it, might not be out of the realm of possibilities.”

Dick smiled as Damian walked off to a cart that was offering, quite possibly, one of the best things Dick had ever smelled.  Damian came back a couple minutes later with a carton of popcorn and two bottles of water.  While he was gone, the show had started in the auditorium.

Damian sat next to Dick, who had a wide smile.  “Did you know this was here before you led us in here, Damian?”

Damian shrugged and spoke around a mouthful of popcorn.  “You said you wanted to do the Frozen sing-along.  Don’t expect me to sing, though.  They’ll kick us out if I sing.  I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.”

Dick helped himself to some of the popcorn and said, “That’s okay, you don’t know the songs yet, anyway.  You will, I’ll make sure of that before we get home.”

Damian choked on his sip of water and said, “I thought you were joking about having the soundtrack in the car.”

Dick smirked, “Nope, wasn’t joking, Little D.”

Damian rolled his eyes, but found that he liked seeing Dick enjoy himself.  Dick sang along like the rest of the audience of young girls, and Damian couldn’t fault the man for being happy.

After the show, Dick said, “Thanks for sitting through that, Damian.  I’m glad you enjoyed it, too.”

Damian looked confused, “What?  Who says I enjoyed that?”

“You were smiling almost the entire time.  Are you trying to tell me that a smile now means you hate something?”

Damian blushed, “I…I didn’t really care about the show, but you did.  It made you happy.  Seeing you happy makes me happy.”

Dick had to bite his lip to keep from squee-ing at his brother.  “Thanks, Damian.  Tell you what, the rain is starting to pick up.  Let’s head back to the hotel.  We haven’t even looked around there; who knows what kind of cool stuff they have there?  We can get cleaned up and get dinner there.  What do you say?”

“I say okay.”

The brothers headed off into the sunset, to end another good day.

_The Next Day…_

Dick yawned and stretched as he woke up on the last morning of their vacation.  Dick and Damian had talked over dinner and decided that they would take a short day on Sunday, then head home early on Monday morning.  If everything worked out for them, they planned on being back home by mid-afternoon.

The last park Dick wanted to hit was EPCOT Center.  He didn’t think it would turn into a full day, but then again, he hadn’t thought they would find as much to do at the Hollywood Studio as they had done yesterday.

Looking around, he found that Damian was nowhere to be found.  He wasn’t exactly concerned, because he found a note on Damian’s pillow that said he went for a walk, and would be back soon.  Shrugging, Dick got dressed and ordered room service for both of their breakfasts.

After placing the order, the door opened and Damian walked back into the hotel room.  He was speaking on the phone, and smiling broadly.  Dick waved, and couldn’t help but smile at his brother’s contentment.

“’Morning, Damian,” the man whispered as the boy approached.

Damian moved the phone away from his mouth and said, “Good morning, Grayson.”

“Say hi to Robin for me,” he whispered with a smile.

Damian tossed the phone to Dick and said, “Do it yourself.”

Flustered, Dick put the phone to his head and said, “Good morning, Robin.”

“Dick, you need to be careful, talking like that over an unsecured line.”

Dick’s jaw dropped as Tim’s voice came out of the speaker.  “Timmy?  Damian told me it was his girlfriend on the line.”

“No, I didn’t,” Damian said with a laugh, “You assumed it was her.  You didn’t even notice that I was talking on your phone.”

Dick looked at the device and realized Damian was right.  “Thanks for charging the long-distance charges to me, Damian.”

Tim was talking on the other end of the phone.  “He didn’t.  I called you.  It surprised me when he answered, but it was a good surprise.  How’s your bro-cation?”

“Oh, Timmy, it’s been awesome.  We’re going to have to work out a way for all of us to come back soon.  How’s the trade show?”

Tim sighed, “Over, thank god.  Berlin is nice, but two weeks is too long to be away from home.  I’m at the airport, waiting on my flight.  I should be home about ten or so, Gotham time, tonight.”

“Good.  We should be home sometime late tomorrow afternoon.  We look forward to seeing you.”

Tim sounded doubtful, “ _We?”_

Dick sighed, “Yes, we.”

“Um, how has he been?”

A knock on the door signified the arrival of breakfast.  Dick motioned towards the door, and Damian got up and answered it.  “There have been a few difficult moments, but really, he’s been great,” Dick said quietly.  “The difficult moments weren’t even what you might be thinking, either.  I’ll tell you all about it when I see you.”

Tim sounded reluctant to ask, but he knew of Dick’s lack of confidence when it came to his recent relationship with Damian.  “Are you two doing better?”

“So much better, Timmy.  You were right, it was mostly in my head.”

Dick could hear some sort of announcement in the background of the other end of the call.  “That’s great.  Look, my plane is boarding, so I have to go, but I’m happy for the both of you.  Tell him I said bye and I’ll see you both tomorrow.  I want to hear about everything when you get home.”

“Thanks, Tim.  We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Dick hung up the phone and turned to where Damian had finished setting up their breakfast.  The boy looked a bit down that Dick had hung up.  Dick caught the look and said, “His plane was boarding, but he said to tell you bye, and that he looks forward to seeing both of us tomorrow.”  The down look disappeared at that news, and they sat and ate their last breakfast in Florida.

As the meal wound down, Dick asked, “So, why did you answer my phone?”

Damian swallowed the last of his omelet and said, “You were still asleep.  The way you were snoring, I didn’t think anything was going to wake you up.  I was going to let it go to voicemail, but I saw that it was Drake.  I…I guess I’ve missed him.  I haven’t spoken to him since before he left for Germany.”

Dick smiled at that, “Did you tell him that?”

Damian took a deep breath and looked down at his plate.  He said softly, “I did.  I thought about what you said, about being more open with people who aren’t you.  I suppose it didn’t hurt anything to be nice to Drake.  I might even do it more often.”

Dick reached across the table and took Damian’s hand.  He squeezed gently, bringing a blush to Damian’s cheeks and a soft smile to his face.  “That’s my boy.”

They got up to head out to EPCOT Center when a thought occurred to Dick.  “Say, why were you up so early in the first place?”

Damian’s smile grew and his blush deepened, “Um…because my phone rang first.  That time it really was Robin.  We had a nice talk.”

Dick smirked, “Oh?  Did she give you any more hints about her movie reference?”

Damian scowled, “No, but she did ask if I’d figured it out yet.  I was at least able to tell her that I knew what movie it was from, thanks to you.  She just said she would be there when I figured it out.  We need to watch that when we get home tomorrow.”

Dick laughed, “I don’t think either of us will be able to make it through it, after a sixteen hour drive.  It’s a three hour movie, Damian.  If we tried to start it as soon as we got home, we would be asleep before the boat set sail.”

Damian grimaced again, “Then we need to get some energy drinks, or something.  Robin said she wants me to draw her.  I want to as well.”

Dick was chuckling and shaking his head.  He couldn’t quite decide if it would be better to wait until Damian saw the movie, or to just tell him now.  _If I tell him now what she’s asking, if she isn’t just joking around, he will want to leave now and go straight to see her, all of her.  We can’t do that, Bruce and Mike would have a conniption.  It will be so much better to see his expression when that part comes up in the movie._

“Come on, last stop on our tour of Disney World.  I think you will like this one.  If everything I’ve read about it is true, it’s a little slower paced than the other parks.  However, I think, given your upbringing, it’s got a lot for you.”

They arrived at EPCOT Center, and Damian snagged a park map at the gate.  Reading the attractions available, Dick saw the boy’s eyes freeze on one section of the map.  Dick pointed over the boy’s shoulder and said, “That’s what I thought.  The International Pavilion seems to have caught your attention.”

Damian looked up and said, “Are we still checking out of the hotel and getting on the road at midnight, Grayson?”

“That’s the plan, why?”

Damian winced, “Never mind, you need sleep before that drive.”

“And I’ll get some.  What caught your eye?”

Damian looked back at the map and said softly, “It’s probably not real, anyways.”

Dick placed a hand on Damian’s shoulder, “Use your words, Damian.  Tell me what it is.”

Damian sighed, “We need to have an early dinner.  They…they have a Moroccan section.  Do you know how long it’s been since I had real Moroccan food?  Pennyworth tries, but he just can’t get the seasonings right.  I…I grew up on Middle Eastern food.  I miss it, sometimes.”

Dick smiled, “I know you did, that’s why I saved the best for last.  We can spend the whole day in the Moroccan section, if you want.  I just need to make one quick stop for Alfred’s gift, then we are good to go.”

Damian’s eyes widened and he said, “Oh, no.  I forgot.  I still haven’t found anything for Father yet.”

“You will, brother.  Don’t worry.  How about we start on the Test Track, and move our way into the International Pavilion?”

“Sure,” Damian said, distracted.

Instead of heading to Test Track, they made their first stop at Spaceship Earth, the giant silver ball that is synonymous with EPCOT Center.  It was able to get their mind in the right frame for their day in this different park.

Once again, Damian’s curiosity was piqued as they entered Mission Space.  The brothers enjoyed playing astronaut, but they both agreed after the experience that they preferred to travel by Zeta Tube, rather than space shuttle.

Finally, they hit the Test Track, which was able to put the thrill ride smile back on their faces.

A thought occurred to Damian, and when they got off the ride, he asked, “Grayson, you never really told me.  Did I pass your ‘driving’ test the other day?”

Dick gasped, “I forgot all about that.  Yeah, I guess you did.”

Damian rolled his eyes.  “Well, since you forgot all about it, what were you going to try to talk Father into?”

Dick smiled conspiratorially.  “I don’t know if he’ll go for it, but then again, I don’t know why he wouldn’t.  I was going to try to talk him into a go-kart.  I’m sure we could find a nice off-road worthy one that you could drive around the grounds.  I’m kind of surprised we don’t have any.  We have a full set of snowmobiles, but no go-karts.  I don’t know, I just thought it would be fun.”

Damian stared at Dick, his jaw slack.  “You…you would do that?  You would try to convince Father to buy me a go-kart?”

“I guess so, why?”

Damian came up and openly hugged Dick, saying, “Because that would be amazing.”

Dick smiled as he returned the embrace.  “I’m glad you approve.  I’m sure Bruce will set some sort of ridiculous quid pro quo before he would agree to it, but you can accomplish anything, and if you need help, we all are here for you.”

The boys wandered until they reached the International Pavilion.  Not seeing any advantage in choosing one way over another, they went to their left, and found themselves in the area denoted for Mexico.  There were no less than four restaurants devoted to tequila and margaritas.  There was also one pseudo-ride displaying what they called the sights of Mexico.

“Grayson, I’ve never actually been to Mexico, but the whole country can’t be like this.”

“Like what?”

Damian took a second to find the right words before saying, “Like a booze-filled beach town.  Surely there is something else there.”

Dick shrugged, “Tequila is a major export.  Perhaps they are making it seem more important here than it really is, but it’s big business.”

They passed by the Norway pavilion, seeing very little there.  Both of them had been to Norway, and the real thing was much nicer than the small space allotted to represent the Scandinavian country.

Entering the area devoted to China, Damian frowned.  “This is more like a movie rendition of an American Chinatown than it is like Shanghai.”

Dick sighed, “No one’s perfect, Damian.  Just how much of your life have you spent in China?”

They wandered the area for a minute before Damian said, “About two years.  Most of it was in the Western reaches of China, since we went back and forth from Nepal, but we spent some time in Beijing and Shanghai.  That used to be my second favorite country to live in, after Morocco.”

“And now?”

Damian thought for a second, “Third.  Morocco is still number one, though.”

They left the China area and walked slowly towards the next represented country.  Dick asked, “I thought you lived in Iran or Iraq when you were growing up?”

Damian nodded, “Iran.  We had…well, I guess here you would call it a vacation home.  Mother called it her retreat.  I loved Morocco.  Staying there was the only time we ever got to relax when I was with her.  She was…nicer…there.  At the very least, she never once hit me while we were in Morocco.”

Dick nodded slowly.  “Maybe Bruce can find a reason to take you there someday.”

They entered the Germany pavilion and took a quick look around.  Both were quiet until they were leaving, when Dick stopped and turned to Damian.  “So, you pointed out all the places selling Tequila in the Mexico area, but not all the places selling Beer in the Germany area?”

“That’s the difference between the two areas.  I’ve been to Germany; I’ve seen the breweries and Biergartens.  I’ve never been to Mexico.  For all I know, there _is_ a Tequila distillery on every corner.  It’s just that their display made it seem like the only worthwhile thing to come out of Mexico is Tequila.”

Dick laughed and shook Damian’s shoulder.  They weren’t really paying attention, and they passed by the Italian area without really sparing it a glance.  They passed instead to the section devoted to America.

Damian looked at it skeptically and said, “Is this really necessary?  We’re _in_ America.  Do we really need to see an area devoted to American culture?”

Dick shrugged, “I think it’s a nice history lesson.”

“They could have made this really easy.  All they needed to put in is a Walmart and a McDonalds.”

“That would just about cover it.  Say, while we’re here, did Bruce ever fix your citizenship status?”

Damian’s eyes widened, “I don’t know.  I assume he did; he told me he was going to.  I hope he didn’t give up after how long it took to get an official birth certificate.”

Bruce had started proceedings to get his son citizenship from the second day Damian had lived with him.  During the long process, he found out that Talia had never had Damian’s birth recorded.  Since he was partially genetically engineered, and she was second-in-command of an illegal, shadowy, fringe organization, Talia saw no need to have an official document created to mark the birth of their son.  It was a good thing that Damian was so far ahead in school, because it had taken months to get even the basic documentation created for the boy to even enroll in a school.

Damian hadn’t thought about it since Bruce’s return from the grave.  Now, he had something to ask his Father when they returned home.

Moving on, they passed in front of the Japan section of the pavilion.  Damian stopped and laughed.

Dick shook his head and said, “I know, it doesn’t look like Tokyo, but I’m sure they did the best they could.”

Still laughing, Damian said, “I’m sure they did, but that isn’t what I’m laughing at.  Look, they have Germany, Italy, and Japan all within close proximity to each other.  Only America stands between having the Axis Powers all together.”

Dick looked and saw that Damian was right.  A giggle escaped the older man as he saw the humor in the situation.  “I guess so.  You want to go in, or do you…”

Dick trailed off as Damian turned and walked away.  Dick had to double time it to catch up to the boy as he entered the Morocco area.  Damian took a deep breath, hoping to catch a hint of the various foods.  He read menus and looked at various wares in the Marketplace.  It was a Disney-fied version of the country he missed, but if he faked it, it felt like being back there.

Dick appeared at the boy’s side and handed him a spiced beef kabob.  Damian smiled and pulled a hunk of meat from the skewer.  It was hot and tasty, but the spice mix was just a little off.  The real thing would have much more flavor to it, and the beef would melt in his mouth.  This was definitely an Americanized version, but it was still good.

“Well?  Is it everything you remembered?”

Damian smiled sadly as he shook his head, “No.  They tried, but it’s definitely not the real thing.  It is a fair enough approximation, however, that it’s making me kind of sad.  Memories always look better in hindsight, don’t they?”

“They do, little brother.”

Damian finished his kabob and said, “When we come back for dinner, maybe we can go to that sit-down place.  I’m sure their food will be better than vendor food.”

Dick was surprised, “You were so pumped to get here, now you want to go?”

“If we want to get on the road by midnight, we only have a limited amount of time here, and there is more to see.  If we stay here the whole time, we run the risk of not finding presents for Father and Pennyworth.”

_As much fun as he’s having, Damian is homesick,_ Dick thought.  _I never thought I would see the day._

They walked slowly, almost reluctantly, from the Middle Eastern-themed area, and into the area devoted to France.  A smile crossed Damian’s face as he led Dick into a Circlevision theater.

“Feel like seeing something about France?”  Dick asked the boy.

Only partly paying attention to Dick, Damian replied, “Maybe this will be able to tell me something about the French girls, and why Robin wants me to draw her looking like one.”

Fifteen minutes later, they left the theater.  Damian was no closer to figuring it out than he was the previous day, and he was starting to get frustrated.

Choosing to alleviate his frustration, they left France and entered an international market area.  There, Dick was able to find exactly what he had been looking for, an array of exotic teas from around the world.  While he did that, Damian ambled around the store, before ending up in front of glassware.

All along, he had thought that Bruce’s gift needed to be something useful.  His Father was nothing if not practical, and everything he purchased had a specific purpose.  Damian found himself drawn to a set of etched glass tumblers.  The short glasses had a line of Disney castles etched and frosted near the base of the tumbler.  Up close, it just looked like a castle, but if you placed the glass on a table and looked at it from a distance, all of the castles lined up to resemble a skyline.  They were understated, tasteful, useful, and aesthetically pleasing.

In other words, they were perfect for Bruce Wayne.

A smile breaking out on his face, Damian grabbed a set of the barware and got in line for the cashier.  Dick, having already finished his shopping, walked up to the boy and said, “See, I told you you’d find something.  I have to ask, though, do you know what a glass like that is normally used for?”

Damian looked back at the glasses and said, “Tt, of course I do.  Father will most likely use it for whiskey.”

Dick looked a little alarmed, “Are you okay with that?  I know how much it hurt you to see Bruce and me drunk all the time.  We made a promise to you.  We haven’t broken it.”

“I know, and I appreciate that.  You’ve proven to me that you know what’s important.  You’ve proven to me that I’m more important to you than getting drunk.  Thank you for that.  I trust that the both of you can handle the occasional drink responsibly, without feeling guilty that you are breaking your word.  I told both of you that the ban could be lifted if I thought you could handle it.  Well, I do.  You are an adult, you don’t need your little brother telling you what you can and can’t do.  I hereby give you, and Father, my permission to handle your own affairs.  I will still be there for both of you, but I won’t lock you in the cellar if you choose to have a drink every now and then.”

Dick felt like he was being granted the keys to the kingdom.  Just knowing that he had earned Damian’s trust was about the best gift he could think of getting.  He knew Bruce would feel the same way.

“Thank you, Damian.  That means a lot to me.”

Damian looked up sharply, “You missed drinking that much?”

Dick shook his head, “I missed you trusting me.”

Damian almost dropped the glasses when his hands started shaking.  _I did it.  I made him happy.  It didn’t take a fancy gift, or an extra Herculean outpouring of effort, just a few words.  Maybe it wasn’t the words, but the meaning behind them?  I do mean it, I trust you, Dick.  I know you won’t let me down.  You haven’t so far, I don’t think you’re going to start now._

Their shopping complete, Dick checked his watch and said, “There’s time for another trip around the International Pavilion before dinner.  You interested, or did you want to see if there is something we missed in the rest of the park?”

Damian shrugged and said, “So long as we end up back at the Moroccan restaurant, we can go anywhere you want.”

Following a dinner that was far closer to what Damian had been expecting, the brothers had returned to the hotel to get some sleep in preparation for their midnight departure.  Under a starless, cloud covered midnight sky, Damian and Dick loaded themselves and their belongings into Dick’s favorite car and began the sixteen hour journey north.

It was an uneventful, and mostly quiet, drive.  They found that everything they needed to say had already been said over the last five days, and they were just comfortable now.  There were stops for gas and naps, but for the most part they went non-stop from Orlando to Gotham City.

When the car was climbing into the foothills surrounding Gotham City, Damian spoke up.  “Grayson, I just wanted to say…thank you.  Thank you for taking the time to do this.  Thank you for wanting to do this.  Thank you for wanting to do this with _me_.  I…I had fun.  I didn’t think it would turn out as good as it did, but this may be the first time in my life where I can honestly say that I’m happy, and you made me that way.”

Dick was surprised by the outpouring of gratitude, but he smiled widely none the less.  “That is quite a load of accolades you’re heaping on me there.  All I did was spend some time with my brother, who I love, and want to see happy.  You’ve done a lot of growing in the past week, and I am unbelievably proud of you.  However, I also want to say thank you.  Thanks for saying yes.  Everything that happened this week happened because you let it.  You said yes.  You took a chance, stepped out of your comfort zone, and you found that it wasn’t nearly as bad as you thought it would be.  None of that would have happened if you hadn’t opened your mind.  I love you, little brother.”

Damian smiled and said softly, “I love you, big brother.”

Dick was glad they were pulling up in front of Stately Wayne Manor, because he needed to hug the boy right now.  They both got out of the car, stretched, and met in front of the vehicle for a hug. 

A minute later, Alfred answered the front door to find a couple of smiling, deeply tanned charges of his.  Dick barely let the door get completely open before he jumped at the aged servant.

“Alfred, it’s so good to see you,” Dick said, his voice muffled by Alfred’s shoulder.

Alfred returned the hug.  “Master Dick, I see you both survived.  I must say, I wasn’t quite sure if we should expect you tonight or tomorrow.”

Dick released the butler and said, “We didn’t throw off your plans for dinner, did we?”

“Of course not, young sir.  It is still early enough that dinner is still in the planning stages.  If you two would like to freshen up, I will just get your bags from the car.”

Dick blocked the butler’s path, “Better let me handle that, Alfred.  We went souvenir hunting for everyone; don’t want to spoil your surprise.”

Alfred smirked as Dick turned and headed back out to the driveway.  He turned to Damian and said, “Well, Master Damian, did you enjoy yourself this week?”

Damian took a couple hesitant steps forward before stopping and saying, “Yes, Pennyworth.  It was quite enjoyable.  I would not be averse to doing it again, sometime.”

“Very good, young sir.  Do…”

Alfred was cut off in surprise when Damian covered the remaining space between them and wrapped his arms tightly around Alfred’s waist.  “I missed you, Pennyworth.”

Alfred was stunned into silence at the depth and meaning in those four words.  Trying to minimize his part in things, Alfred said, “Come now, child.  I have been to a Disney theme park before, surely their standard of service cannot have fallen so far that my services were that sorely missed.”

“The service was excellent, but none of them are family.”

His stiff upper lip being put to the test, Alfred returned the boy’s hug tightly for a second before taking a step back.  “Yes, well.  You must be tired after your journey.  I look forward to hearing all the highlights of your trip.”

Dick had waited on the porch until he was sure his entering wouldn’t embarrass Damian.  Seeing the looks on both of the foyer’s occupants, he guessed correctly in his timing.  “I’ll just take these upstairs.”

Alfred called out, “Please, Master Dick, make sure to keep the noise down while you are up there.  Master Timothy is still sleeping.”

Dick stopped, “Still?  He said he was supposed to get in at ten last night.”

Alfred shook his head, “I’m afraid not.  His plane was delayed.  He didn’t land until six this morning.  He has been asleep since around ten.  We will let him sleep until dinner, unless he gets up on his own first.”

Dick nodded and headed upstairs.  Damian looked around the familiar entryway before asking, “Is Father still at work?”

“He is still working, young sir, but today he is working from home.  He may be able to take a break, now that you have returned, but last I heard, he was on the phone.”

Damian looked slightly nervous.  “Do you think it would be okay if I stopped in and said hi?”

Alfred looked down compassionately at the boy and said, “He is your father.  I think he would be quite upset if you didn’t.”

Bruce was rubbing his temples as a headache worked its way through his head.  Lucius Fox was telling him all about a rumored second company-wide audit that was due to hit Wayne Enterprises sometime this summer.  They had been on this topic for over an hour, and Bruce desperately needed a break.

His eyes narrowed as the door to his study was slowly pushed open, inch by inch.  He expected Alfred to be bringing him something to drink or, better yet, some aspirin.  The head that stuck itself through the portal was both unexpected, and greatly appreciated.

Damian sent a silent smile at his father, who seemed to perk up at the sight of him.  _Maybe this won’t be the interruption I thought it would be._

Bruce held a finger to his lips, cautioning quiet, as he waved the boy into the office.  Damian was gently closing the door when Bruce said, “Lucius, I hate to interrupt you, but can you hold on for a second?”

The CFO’s deep, rich voice came from the speakerphone and said, “Sure, Bruce.  I’ve been doing a lot of talking here; gives me a chance to get some water.”

“Sure, Lucius.  Just a minute.”  Bruce pressed the hold button on the phone as Damian approached the desk.  Bruce rose and walked around the desk.  He stood before his son and said, “Welcome home, Damian.  I see you survived all in one piece.  This call shouldn’t last much longer, then…”

Like with Alfred before, Damian flung himself at his father and held on tightly.  “Hi, Father, I missed you.”

Bruce took a deep, filling breath as his arms naturally worked their way around Damian’s shoulders.  He had been nervous for this moment all week.  There had only been a few calls between the travelers and their home, and Bruce had done more than his fair share of worrying about how Dick’s plan was going.  Now, if the smile the boy had held when he entered the office was any indication, he had done all that worrying for nothing.

“I see you had a good time.”

“Yes, Father, we did.  There was only one thing missing.”

Bruce sounded concerned as he asked, “What was that?”

Damian looked up into the eyes that matched his own and said softly, “You.  We missed you, Father.”

Bruce narrowed his eyes, “You didn’t need a referee, did you?”

“We needed the person in the family who needs to relax the most.  Grayson is going to try to work out another trip, and there will be no not coming for you then.”

Bruce smirked down at his boy.  Knowing there were no major fights between his sons, and that he was still seen as necessary in their lives was a great relief.  Bruce asked seriously, “Is everything better between you and Dick now?”

Damian thought for a second before saying, “I think so, Father.  If it isn’t, we can work it out.”

The speakerphone beeped, reminding Bruce that Lucius was still on hold.  He sighed and said, “I really shouldn’t leave this call on hold any longer.  The longer it takes to get back to it, the longer it will take to finish.”

Damian finally let go of Bruce and said, “I can just wait on the couch, Father.  I promise I won’t make any noise.”

Bruce looked at the couch, then back at the boy.  He could tell that an opportunity was being presented to him; he wasn’t going to miss it.

“No.  No, I don’t think that will work.”

Damian started to look depressed.  All he wanted was to be close to his father, after a week apart.  _Before the trip, we were getting closer.  We were doing okay.  Did going with Grayson have the effect of pulling me away from Father?_

Damian started to turn to leave the office when Bruce grabbed his hand and pulled him close.  Bruce sat down and pulled his astonished son into his lap.  It took a second for them both to adjust and get comfortable, but once they did, Bruce sent a smile at the boy.

“This is much better than the couch, I think,” Bruce whispered in the boy’s ear.

“I’ll be quiet, Father,” Damian replied, just as quietly.

Still smiling, Bruce wrapped his arms tightly around his son and pressed a soft kiss to his temple.  He leaned back in the chair as Damian snuggled into his Father’s warm frame.

“Welcome back, son.  I missed you, and I love you,” Bruce whispered before hitting the button to resume his call, his headache suddenly gone and his mood much lighter despite, and because of, the comforting weight in his lap.

 

**A/N: Done, finally.  As you might have guessed, this is the spiritual successor to Bats, Birds, and Mice.  I first thought of writing this one while I was in the middle of that one.  I finally got around to doing it.  This one was a little tougher for me to write than my last Bat-Disney fic because, while I’ve been to Disneyland hundreds of times, I’ve never been to Disney World.  I live three thousand miles from Disney World, and I don’t fly, so finding a way to get there is damn hard.  Let’s just say it’s on the Bucket List.  To get everything as right as possible, I researched everything I could find on the various Disney World parks, I printed out current maps of the area, I even Mapquested a probably driving route from a supposed location of Gotham City to Disney World, just to see how long it would take to drive there.**

**The beginning of the story probably sounds a bit different in tone than the end.  That is because this took months to write.  I actually started this before School of Wrong was finished.  That means I had to go back and add all of the Robin interactions in at a later date, because when I started this story, she wasn’t a character in her own right yet.  I hope it works.**

**A little housekeeping, all trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners, and I am not paid or compensated in any way for using them in my stories.  I just do it as a way to ground my characters in the real world.**

**I would love to hear your thoughts, so please read and review.  Please also take the time to make an account and sign in when you review.  That way, if you ask me a question in a review, I can respond to you, and hopefully increase your enjoyment of my works.**

**Thanks for going along with me on the journey.  I felt I needed something a little lighter here, because the timeline gets pretty heavy over the next few stories, two more of which will be up in the next few minutes.**


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